Be My Friend
by Karuka Ikashi
Summary: A six year old Iruka is curious about the White Fang's son, but senses that something is upsetting him. Follows the life of Iruka and Kakashi as they grow up together. Please R&R and enjoy!
1. The White Fang's Son

**The White Fang's Son**

The academy grounds of Konoha were swarmed with miniature shinobi as classes were finished for the day and the restless children scampered home. A pack of excited six-year-olds burst through the doors and out onto the sunny street, happy to be done with school for now. A tan boy with a light smirk on his face was among them. He walked with a group of friends, trailing slightly behind them and daydreaming about what he was going to do for the rest of the day.

"Hey, Iruka! Snap out of it! Why are you going so slow?" a boy in front of him yelled.

Iruka quickened his steps and caught up quickly. There was a reason the kids were so excited- this was their first time walking him alone without having to wait around for a parent to pick them up. Their faces lit up as they chatted happily and looked around at the places and people they passed on their way down the street. When they reached the main district, the group suddenly came to a halt. Iruka, lost in a daydream again kept on walking until one of his friends grabbed him and yanked him back. Iruka's face twisted in puzzlement until he looked at where the group was staring. Outside a weapons shop stood a tall man with long silver hair that was tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing a jounin vest and talking to the shopkeeper while rustling the identical silver hair of a small boy standing next to him. Iruka looked the boy over- he couldn't have been much older than himself, maybe just a year or so. He was wearing a black mask on his small face, just like the man standing next to him was. The masked boy looked up fondly at his father as the large man continued to talk with the owner of the weapons shop.

"That's Hatake Kakashi, isn't it?" one of the boys asked, pointing.

"Yeah," said another, " I heard he already graduated from the academy…_two years ago_."

"What? How old is he?"

"Seven, I think. They call him a _genius_."

"Yeah! Can you believe he's already a _chuunin_?"

Iruka listened with interest as he watched Kakashi from a distance. _He must be **really** good, _the young shinobi thought to himself, _If **I **could graduate right now- _His thoughts were interrupted as the silver-haired boy turned his head to look in their direction. The six-year-olds flinched at being caught and rushed away immediately. Iruka took a bit longer than the rest, trying to get one last look at the glaring seven-year-old before dashing away with his group. _I wonder what he really looks like under the mask?_

A few days passed, and Iruka didn't see Kakashi again. However, for some reason, he couldn't seem to keep his mind off of him. He was fascinated. He was someone who had graduated from the academy a year before the age Iruka was now. His father was famous too. Iruka had heard stories about Hatake Sakumo. He was a legendary ninja in the village of Konoha, just as respected as the three famous sannin were. His son looked just like him, except for the shorter hair. Iruka wanted to talk to him. _What's it like having a famous father? _Iruka didn't see the silver-haired boy, though. It seemed like he had disappeared from the village altogether.

One rainy day, Iruka found himself walking home alone. His friends had lost patience with him and finally left him behind. Tears ran down the small boy's face in hurt and anger. _Some friends they are. Why did they leave me here all alone? _He was so upset, he didn't even want to go home. Instead, he wandered off the main road and followed a trail towards the open clearing. He kept on walking until he saw an area with three large posts, and not too far away from that was a large memorial stone. There was small figure crouched at the foot of the stone. Iruka walked closer to investigate.

The small shinobi crouched by the stone turned his head as he heard the other boy approach. Iruka barely saw the flash of his eyes before Kakashi turned away quickly, hugging his knees close to his chest. Iruka stared at him curiously and took a step closer. Kakashi stiffened as the water dripped from his silver strands of hair. _Why won't he look at me? _Iruka wondered. The young ninja sensed something wrong with the boy crouching before him. Was this the way the son of the "White Fang" was supposed to act?

"What's wrong?" he asked innocently.

The silver-haired boy didn't answer. Iruka took another step closer.

"Why are you sitting out here in the rain? You should get inside. Mom says you'll get sick if you stay out in the rain…"

"Leave me alone," the other boy grunted finally.

Iruka was not intimidated however. Seeing Kakashi like this bothered him, and he was determined to do something about it. Slowly, he reached out and put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Kakashi snapped, hitting the younger boy's hand off of him, "J-just go away..."

Iruka flinched not from Kakashi's yelling or having his hand slapped away, but from hearing the painful crack in his voice. It made him feel uncomfortable- seeing someone who was supposed to be so great and talented looking pathetic and weak. Something horrible must have happened to him…

"What's wrong?" Iruka asked again, persistently.

All he received in response was a glare from the other boy's tear-soaked eyes. Iruka almost couldn't tell he was crying in the rain, but the silver-haired boy's eyes were red and slightly puffy. Kakashi turned away quickly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand embarrassedly. A shinobi didn't cry. Not for _anything_!

"Why do you care?" he muttered after a moment, "You don't even know me."

Iruka just stared at him. He was right- Iruka didn't know him, but why did that matter? The boy couldn't pretend like he didn't care. Even though he didn't know what was wrong, he could still feel the older boy's pain. _You're sad, just like me…_

"I…"

Iruka let his sentence trail off and instead, sat down next to Kakashi. The seven-year-old chuunin moved away from him slightly. Iruka looked at him sadly and then turned his gaze to the stone in front of them. He put his hand onto it curiously, running his small fingers over the engraved names. He couldn't really read too well yet, but he sensed the significance behind the niches in the smooth, wet stone. He had heard about this stone before- this was where they carved in the names of ninja who had died in battle. Kakashi's eyes never left one spot. Iruka followed his gaze and tried hard to make out the words he was staring at.

"Ha..ta.." the six-year-old sounded out.

He froze. Kakashi stiffened.

"Someone in your family died?" Iruka asked quietly.

Kakashi didn't say anything, but Iruka saw him give a small nod. The brown-haired boy frowned and stared back at the stone unbelievingly. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would feel like to lose someone so close to you. He could feel his own tears coming back. He had been upset because his friends had left him, but this boy…he had lost something much more important.

Kakashi reached out and touched the wet name of his deceased family member. Iruka let his tears go, dripping down his face with the rain. He hated seeing someone so sad. Kakashi's face twisted uncomfortably under the wetness of his mask. He pulled it down slowly, not caring that Iruka saw the part of his face he often kept hidden. He had started hiding his face more and more lately, but somehow, he still wasn't used to it. It reminded him too much of _him_…

"Mom," he choked letting his fingers fall from the name, "He should be here, next to her…He was a hero!"

Iruka looked at him curiously.

"Who?" he whispered.

Kakashi didn't answer his question or look at him. Instead, he seemed to be talking to himself.

"I found him…He was just _lying _there, and they told me he-"

Kakashi couldn't say anymore. He just hugged his legs and cried into his knees. Iruka choked slightly from the tears he was failing to hold back. He was crying just as much as Kakashi. The silver-haired chuunin didn't really understand this. Why would someone be crying with him when he hadn't even known the person who had died? Kakashi rested his chin on his knees and turned his head slightly to look at Iruka. The academy student was leaning against the stone, watching Kakashi through blurry eyes. Both of them shivered in the cold, their clothes soaking wet.

Suddenly, the younger boy moved forward and Kakashi's eyes widened as he felt Iruka's arms wrap around him. _I told him not to touch me_, he thought, but didn't say anything or push him away.

"Don't cry anymore," Iruka pleaded.

Kakashi sniffed and leaned into Iruka slightly. People had been trying to hug him a lot lately- teachers, parents of other students, strangers he didn't even know…He didn't want sympathy or comfort from them. How could they possibly understand the pain he was feeling? He hated people telling him "It's okay," when it obviously wasn't and never would be. Iruka didn't lie to him, however. Somehow there was a connection between them that Kakashi didn't have with anyone else…

"Why did he have to leave me all alone?" he choked, "He didn't have to...He didn't care! He didn't even think about me!"

Iruka hugged him tighter as his tears stopped. He didn't know who Kakashi was talking about or anything about what had happened, but he understood this feeling of loneliness and the remedy that would make it disappear.

"You can't be alone if we're together," Iruka told him, "Let's be friends…okay?"

Kakashi lifted his head and turned to look at Iruka with an expression that was unreadable despite the absence of his mask. The six-year-old curved his lips into an encouraging smile, letting go of Kakashi slowly and waiting for an answer. Finally, the chuunin closed his eyes and gave a small nod. He had chosen friendship. Iruka stood up and offered him his hand. Kakashi looked at it a moment before taking it and rising to his feet. The rain was slowly stopping. Kakashi wiped away the last of his tears, and taking one last look at the memorial stone, began walking with Iruka back to the village. They didn't let go of each other's hand.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you've enjoyed. Be My Friend's turned multi-chap now, so look for more to come! I fixed the mistakes in this chapter and am working on the next one right now. The following chapters will follow the lives of Kakashi and Iruka as they grow up. I look forward to writing it. Thanks for reading and please leave a review!**

**-K.I. :3**


	2. I've Got Your Back

**I've Got Your Back**

_"Today, Kakashi, I'm going to teach you how to use summoning jutsu."_

_The tall man was met with eyes that were bright despite being dull gray in color. Training time! This should be fun. There were always so many new things to learn, and Father always gave lots of praise when what he was teaching was done right._

_The man smiled and put one hand to his mouth, biting his thumb hard. The tiny shinobi winced slightly at the blood, but kept on watching carefully. After all, ninja saw blood all the time, and a little bleeding thumb was nothing to take seriously. The boy's father pulled out a scroll and began forming the hand signs, moving his hands slowly so his son could see. Then, he smeared his thumb across the scroll as he let it fall open and rolled it back again just as easily before slamming it onto the ground._

_The boy jumped when the scroll hit the floor and then again when a giant cloud erupted from it. A pack of dogs appeared in its midst, all different sizes and colors. The young shinobi stared at them, wide-eyed as they came to inspect and sniff him. His father smiled as he watched his son pet the summons._

_"These are the nin-dogs. You haven't seen them before because I usually only call them when I'm out on missions. They are very loyal and reliable companions. And these," he indicated a pack of eight puppies hidden behind the larger dogs, "are yours to train. These are your Ninken."_

_The boy grew excited as the nin-dog puppies wagged their tails happily at him and licked him- all except one, who wore an obvious wrinkled frown upon his face. The boy frowned back at him as the small saggy-skinned puppy, about four months old, gave a small yip. He felt his father's hand on his shoulder._

_"Hey there, are you doubting my son?" the man joked, "I'll have you know he's already graduated from the academy and is well on his way to becoming a chuunin. I assure you, he's well beyond his years and more than worthy of having a pact with."_

_The tiny shinobi beamed. His father smiled warmly at him and took out the contract scroll for him to sign with blood. The boy's hand only shook slightly as he raised a kunai to his thumb. Once he had made his pack, he was swarmed by nin-dog puppies as all eight jumped on him at once._

_"Otosan!" the five-year-old whined from underneath the puppy-pile._

_Sakumo laughed and pulled him out._

_"There now, you respect Kakashi," he scolded the puppies._

_"Kaka…shi," the wrinkled puppy croaked._

_The silver-haired boy's eyes widened, and he stared at his father unbelievingly._

_"He talked!"_

_"Kakashi," the puppy said again, confirming the information._

_Now the boy was smiling uncontrollably._

_"Pak-kun!" he yelled excitedly, giving the puppy his new name._

"Pak-kun!"

"What?"

Kakashi opened his eyes suddenly and looked around an unfamiliar room. He had been dreaming about his father again. His father and something else that had happened in what felt like a long time ago, but maybe not as long as he thought. It had only been a few weeks since his father had died, but Kakashi was already starting to forget what his voice had sounded like. Even in the dreams, it wasn't clear.

"Well, did you wake me up for nothing?" the small dog grumbled, "If so, I'm going back to sleep."

Kakashi shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts from his mind. Then, he blinked and took a look around the room, trying to remember where he was._ Oh yeah…Sensei's…_

* * *

Though he had Iruka as a friend, Kakashi couldn't help feeling alone after his father left him for the next world. At first, they tried putting him in the orphanage, seeing as he had no living relatives to care for him. Once he arrived, he isolated himself from the rest of the children. He wouldn't talk, except when spoken to, and the only time his hidden face showed even the illusion of happiness was when Iruka came to visit him. His guardians began to worry about him- this child that always kept his face under a mask and rarely smiled. He was the perfect image of a well-trained shinobi, but to become like this so early in life wasn't healthy for his development, they knew. So they began looking for a suitable family to adopt him. 

Iruka's parents were always very kind to Kakashi, but they sadly admitted that they couldn't afford to raise another child right now. They were good people, proud of their village and willing to protect it at all costs. Both Uminos had reached chunnin rank with little difficulty, but neither had ever risen above that. His father had been seriously injured on a mission a few years ago, back when Iruka was too young to remember. It had left him with a bad arm that never fully healed and eventually had to be amputated. It was hard for him to live with, especially when he was forced to take lower-ranking missions. His mother had plenty of scars to show her own dedication to her village. She was often away on longer missions, but she always looked forward to coming home and spending time with her young son.

Kakashi remembered the first day he had met Iruka's parents. It hadn't been long after he had met Iruka himself...

* * *

A wet and still-traumatized Kakashi was led by the hand back to the outskirts of the village from the memorial stone. There, he and the younger boy entered a modest home and were greeted by Iruka's worried mother. 

"Iruka! Where have you been? Why didn't you come straight home from the academy?"

"I met a new friend," Iruka replied, pulling Kakashi forward from the place he had reluctantly hidden behind him.

His mother's face softened a bit. She smiled kindly to the older boy.

"Oh! What is your name?"

"H-hatake Kakashi," the seven-year-old muttered nervously.

He wasn't a shy child, but he felt so awkward. _I hardly even know this kid, and now I'm meeting his parents. What if they don't like me? What if they've heard-_

"Hatake?" Iruka's mother whispered.

Kakashi's tears resurfaced as he gripped Iruka's hand tighter. Iruka's

mother immediately dropped down to her knees and took Kakashi into her arms, almost instinctively. The tiny chunnin stiffened. It had been so long since his own mother had died. Is this what it felt like when she hugged me?

"There, there…I'm sorry about your father, Kakashi-kun. How would you like to have dinner with us tonight?"

Kakashi looked at Iruka, who smiled and nodded encouragingly.

"Okay," the chuunin agreed.

The silver-haired boy squirmed slightly in his seat as he tried not to stare at Iruka's father and his missing arm. The man regarded the small chuunin with a small, almost hidden smirk.

"Don't look so nervous, son. We don't bite."

Kakashi twitched at being called "son" by Iruka's father. Iruka's mother caught her husband's eye and shook her head at him. The man quirked his lip and tried to give Kakashi a friendly smile.

"Get ready for some good food, kid- because my wife makes the best."

"Stop it!" Iruka's mother said embarrassedly, "Don't raise his expectations."

"But it's true!" Iruka's father laughed.

His son smiled brightly at him, and Kakashi watched curiously as Iruka's mother began to serve the food, still blushing slightly. A bowl was placed in front of him, hot and steaming. Kakashi's mouth watered as he suddenly realized how hungry he was. The first time he felt the flavor of the soup in his mouth, his eyes widened in surprise.

"What is this?" he asked before taking another spoonful…then another and another.

Iruka's mother smiled.

"Miso soup with eggplant," she replied, "Seems you like it."

"It's…so good!"

The soup was gone before Iruka's mother had the chance to say anything else.

"I'm glad you liked it. You can come over whenever you like, and I'll make that for you, Kakashi-kun."

The chuunin blinked.

"Really?"

Iruka's mother nodded.

"Of course."

"Then- can I have another one… please?"

She grinned and went to go refill his bowl.

* * *

Kakashi had continued to visit the Uminos many times after that. Sometimes Iruka's mother would find the masked boy staying up late with Iruka in his room, Kakashi having snuck in through the window. She never had the heart to kick Kakashi out, though she knew the orphanage was becoming concerned by his constant disappearances. 

Finally, the man the young chunnin was training under, widely known as the Yellow Flash, declared himself the boy's new guardian.

At first, Kakashi hadn't liked it. Who wanted to have a live-in sensei teaching you "lessons in life" in addition to lessons on the training ground? His sensei was such a strange man. His attempts to entertain his new charge usually resulted in Kakashi staring at him blankly and asking, "Sensei, what are you doing?" to which he would reply, "You're far too serious for a seven-year-old." And no more than a few seconds later (he _was _a genius) would come the retort, "You're not serious enough for an adult." Little smart mouth. Then again, the Yellow Flash didn't seem to realize that attacking various household objects with origami shuriken was not always a chunnin's idea of fun, even if said chunnin was still too small to wear his forehead protector without being blindfolded.

After a while, though, Kakashi began to like living with Sensei – especially since he let Iruka come over whenever Kakashi wanted. Iruka loved Kakashi's new home and guardian. The boys would sit around him with the Ninken and listen to the golden-haired man talk about all the high-rank missions he had been on and what had happened during them. They were fascinated.

"Aren't you get tired of this yet?" he'd ask.

"No, keep going!" would come the reply from the two boys in unison.

Eventually, the stories would stop when Iruka had to be sent home. His parents worried when he was gone for so long, even though they knew he was safe with the Yellow Flash. The man could understand them wanting their child back for most of the day.

As time passed, the boys' friendship had continued to grow. Sometimes after training, Kakashi would go meet Iruka at the academy and walk home with him. Today was one of those days. He said goodbye to Sensei and left carrying two sticks of dango to share. Kakashi didn't like sweets too much, but he knew Iruka would love them. He focused his chakra and used it to jump up high onto the rooftops to make his way to the academy even faster. Then, the chuunin had an idea. He reached down to his knee, where he had gotten cut during training and slid hid thumb over the blood. A few hand seals later, a medium-sized white and yellow dog with small black sunglasses appeared before him- the dog that liked Kakashi the best. He smiled beneath his mask and ran his hand over the fur on the dog's head.

"Can I have a ride, please?"

The dog gave a happy yip and offered Kakashi his back. The chunnin climbed on, and instantly, they were off.

When he got a bit closer, he could barely see Iruka standing near the outside swing where he usually waited for him when he knew Kakashi was going to come. There were two other boys with him, though. They were both bigger than him, but not any older than Kakashi. The silver-haired boy wouldn't have cared, except that one of the boys was holding a kunai.

"You think you can get away with that, Umino? Making fun of my clan? What are you? You're nothing. I bet no one in this village has even heard of your pathetic family."

Iruka was scared, but he glared defiantly.

"I can say whatever I want! My dad says you're the ones who always steal on missions, and because your dad got caught doing it, the people attacked their squad! It's your fault his arm got hurt!"

The older boy grabbed Iruka's collar and shoved him up against a tree. He gave him an icy look that made the seven-year-old tremble.

"He's not the only one who's going to get hurt," came the low growl.

Iruka screamed in pain as the boy pressed the tip of the kunai up to his cheek and slowly started to drag it across his face, leaving a deep, bloody gash going from his cheek up to the bridge of his nose. The seven-year-old tried to push the hand away, but the other boy was stronger than him.

"H-hey, stop that," the second boy stuttered timidly, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder, but not daring to try to pull his arm away.

"Shut up!" the other boy snapped at him.

"He's just a little kid!"

Iruka's attacker didn't let go of his shirt, but he lifted his kunai off the seven-year-old's face long enough to elbow his friend in the ribs, knocking him down. The second boy gave up trying to help Iruka as he picked himself up from the ground and rushed off. The older boy scoffed in the direction he had run, but suddenly whipped back towards Iruka as the younger boy attempted a badly aimed kick. The bully glared and suddenly lifted his kunai again, slashing Iruka on the other side of the face to meet the first gash in the middle. He smirked at the symmetrical mark he had created, just as he heard the small thump of two sticks of dango hitting the ground behind him and the growl of a very angry nin-dog.

Before he knew it, the boy had been yanked backwards. He let go of a wailing Iruka and turned his head to meet the death glare of a certain silver-haired chuunin…who happened to be his former classmate.

"H-hatake!"

"Still picking on kids weaker than you?" came the cold reply, "It's time you learned how it feels."

By the time the bully's friend had come back, scampering behind his sensei, Iruka's attacker was on the floor, hands and legs tied, begging for mercy from the eight-year-old sitting on top of him and holding a kunai near his face. Iruka had his arms around the nindog, who was nuzzling him gently and licking the cut on his face.

"Hatake Kakashi!" the sensei snapped, "Off!"

The parent-teacher meeting that followed included the bully's parents, the Uminos, and a very upset Yellow Flash giving his charge the Frown of Disapproval along with the secret He-Had-It-Coming Wink when no one was looking. The wink had only come after he had found out Kakashi had been protecting Iruka. Iruka's mother threw a fit when she saw her son's face, and it took almost a quarter of the meeting to calm her down. His father held a glaring contest with the bully's father as the academy sensei talked on and on about school grounds policy. The rest of the meeting consisted of a round of lectures and half-hearted apologies. The boy who had attacked Iruka ended up being expelled from the academy for conduct unbefitting a future Konoha shinobi.

* * *

"It's okay, Iruka," Kakashi told his sulking friend later, "Scars make you look cool! Only the toughest ninja have them." 

The academy student was not comforted. He had spent most of the day moping around the house, staring at his stitched-up face in the mirror every now and then until he couldn't look at it anymore.

"I bet most of them didn't get them from school bullies," he mumbled to the chuunin.

"You never know. Besides, you said he did it because he was mad at you for saying what you meant! You stood up for yourself. That's brave."

Iruka turned his dark brown eyes to meet Kakashi's marble grey ones.

"You really think so?"

The silver-haired boy nodded.

"That takes guts. You have the spirit of a shinobi!"

He pointed to the bridge of Iruka's nose. The seven-year-old stared cross-eyed at the chuunin's finger.

"And that's just proof of it."

Iruka smiled, and Kakashi stiffened in surprise as he was thanked with a hug.

"I never said thanks for saving me."

The chuunin gave his friend's back a pat.

"You don't have to."

* * *

The next day, Sensei took the two of them out for ramen. He led them down the street, taking small steps to match their own pace and grinning down at Iruka now and then. The tan boy was swinging Sensei's hand happily, smiling despite the large white bandage wrapped around his face. Kakashi, standing on the other side of the Yellow Flash, refused to hold hands. Sensei made another attempt to grab his. 

"Stop it, Sensei! I'm too old to hold hands!" the eight-year-old pouted.

"You're still short. And if you're short, that means you can still get lost in a crowd, chuunin or not."

"I will _not _get lost. If I do, I can just feel for your chakra and-"

"And what if someone tries to kidnap you? Someone stronger than you?"

"I'm not a baby! I can take care of myself!"

The Yellow Flash felt a tug on his other hand as Iruka tried to pull away.

"I'm not a baby either! I don't wanna hold hands!"

Sensei frowned at him and then sighed.

"You're still seven, Iruka-kun," Kakashi informed him, "You still have to."

Iruka scowled at him.

"No, I don't! I'm almost as big as Kashi-kun," Iruka whined to Sensei.

"What am I going to do with you two?" the golden-haired man moaned, "Your mother will have my head if I lose you, Iruka-kun."

The seven-year-old was still resisting, until the taller man bent down and scooped the boy up, relocating him up upon his shoulders. Iruka seemed to like this new position and pointed down at Kakashi triumphantly.

"Now I'm taller than you!"

Kakashi frowned at him.

"You never do that for me, Sensei."

"That's because you told me you were too old for it last time I tried, remember?"

Sensei crouched down, offering the boy the vacancy on his back.

"Do you want a ride too, Kakashi-kun?" he asked with a sly smile.

"No," Kakashi responded indignantly, crossing his arms, "Chuunin don't ride piggyback."

The Yellow Flash smirked and leaned closer to Kakashi.

"No one has to know you're a chuunin," he whispered, "You look like an eight-year-old to me."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. It was true- he _did _want a piggyback ride, but what if someone made fun of him for it later? _Then I'll just kick their butt, _he thought, but part of him still wasn't convinced. He looked up to see Iruka smiling at him.

"Come on!" the younger boy said, "Aren't you hungry too?"

Kakashi gave a nod. Not much of an excuse, but better than nothing, he decided. _It's better than holding hands._ Taking one glance around to make sure no one was watching, he carefully climbed onto his sensei's back, grabbing onto Iruka's ankles on the front of his sensei's chest to keep them both on while Sensei held onto Kakashi.

"Now then, if everyone's happy, let's get going!"

"Why do I have to sit under Iruka's butt?"

The Yellow Flash's triumphant smile faded slightly, but he decided to ignore Kakashi for once. The eight-year-old pouted but didn't complain anymore. Sensei made sure neither of the boys was going to fall off, and then, the burdened man trudged forward on to his favorite ramen place, Ichiraku.

"Quite a load you've got there," the young chef greeted him.

"They're quite the handful," Sensei laughed before wincing as Iruka tugged out a strand of his hair.

Kakashi stared at the man indifferently from his sensei's back. The Yellow Flash swung him around into a stool and then lifted Iruka off his shoulders to put him down in the stool next to him.

"Order anything you want," Sensei told them with a smile.

The boys looked through the menu excitedly and had soon made their choices. As they waited for their meal to arrive, Kakashi and Iruka listened to the Yellow Flash's latest story.

"This was one of the most difficult missions I've been on so far," he told them, "There were a lot of risks involved, but my team came up with a plan to help us succeed. Two of them lured away the people standing guard at the front of the mansion. Then, I went in for the assassination with my other teammate as my backup. She was attacked halfway through, but I fell back and helped her defeat the enemies."

Iruka watched him, fascinated. Kakashi only looked down at his ramen, unimpressed.

"The rules say you shouldn't go back. Completing the mission is the most important part," he mumbled, "not saving your teammates."

The brown-haired boy stared at him, wide-eyed.

"But she could have died!"

"She had her own role in the mission. What if sensei had been defeated too? Then they both would have died, and the mission would be failed."

"He wouldn't have been defeated!" Iruka argued, "_No one _can beat him!"

While the two debated this, the Yellow Flash simply studied his student while taking large slurps of ramen. Was this really coming from the boy he had just given a piggyback ride to? _He's a chuunin. He's not like other children. Still, the way he thinks…This must because of what happened to his father._

"Hey," the blonde man told them, "Of course it's important to complete a mission, but to do that, your team must be strong as one. Your comrades are your friends. You should think of them as part of yourself and always watch each other's backs. If you lose trust in each other and separate, there's a greater chance you'll be picked off one by one. That's why you should remember that the most important thing to a shinobi is teamwork!"

Iruka beamed brightly, and even Kakashi cocked his head a little while finishing his bowl of ramen, but the young chuunin didn't say anything after that.

"Hey, Kakashi-kun," the younger boy said to him after a while, "If we're ever on a team, I'll watch your back for you!"

Kakashi suppressed a snort. Iruka protect _him_? He hadn't even graduated from the academy! Despite this though, something felt inside the chuunin felt warm and made him smile at the promise.

"Okay."

When they all had finished their meal, Sensei paid, and the three of them walked towards the training grounds. Kakashi's eyes lit up as they reached the field. He loved to train. He was driven by the desire to grow stronger and stronger so as to keep up with the adults he now worked with. The chuunin and jounin he was grouped with on missions would always tower over him and boss him around with orders – usually simple things even a genin could do. They never trusted him with night watch. He'd end up with the earliest shift for fear that the little boy would fall asleep on the job. Like a _baby. _Kakashi hated it. After all, he could stay up till midnight without getting sleepy…well, sometimes anyway. He hated that they rarely took him seriously due to his size, but he was determined to prove them wrong. He hadn't gotten this far just to be considered a pushover.

"Come on, Sensei!" he said, pulling on the man's sleeve impatiently, "Let's train!"

"Hold on just a moment, Kakashi-kun," the Yellow Flash replied, "Let's give Iruka a chance to show us what he's learning in class."

"Our sensei lets us practice with shuriken now!" the academy student stated proudly, "I can throw them without getting cut."

Kakashi held a bored expression, but Sensei gave him a look that told him he better be nice. The chuunin crossed his arms and gave a slight nod.

"All right. Let's see it. Hit that tree over there."

Iruka turned his head towards the tree his friend indicated and asked Sensei for some shuriken. The Yellow Flash handed them over reluctantly. He had never worked with small children before Kakashi and still felt guilty handing them such dangerous weapons.

"Be careful," he told the boy.

"Don't worry. It's easy!" the boy assured him and threw a shuriken at the tree.

It missed and sailed off to the right.

"Wait! That one didn't count!"

He threw another and also missed.

"That one didn't either. This one-"

Another miss. Kakashi shook his head to himself.

"Let me show you, Iruka-kun."

He took a shuriken between his fingers.

"Hold it like this," he said.

The younger boy copied him.

"Pick a spot on the tree and aim a little higher than it. Flick your wrist like this."

He demonstrated in slow motion. Iruka did the same and released his shuriken. It landed with a thump on the tree.

"I did it!" he yelled triumphantly.

"Great job," Sensei told him.

Kakashi smiled a bit under his mask and gave an approving nod.

"You're a good shinobi, Iruka-kun."

His friend turned to beam at him. Then suddenly, he leapt onto the older boy and hugged him.

"H-hey, stop that," the chuunin said embarrassedly, trying to push him away.

_He always does this. _Iruka held on tight.

"You're a good teacher, Kakashi-sensei."

The silver-hair boy blushed. _Kakashi-sensei? _He liked how it sounded. Iruka finally released him and gave some more shuriken a throw. He jumped excitedly whenever one hit, and Kakashi couldn't help but smile some more.

_If we're ever on a team, Iruka… I've got your back too. _

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Been a while, huh? XD Sorry about the laziness. I hope this chapter made up for the wait. I'm not too happy with the formatting, but hopefully, it wasn't too much of a pain for you guys. I'm having a lot of fun writing about little Kakashi and Iruka, so expect to see more. X3 Till later, then!**

**-K.I.**


	3. The Reason

**The Reason**

Iruka's breath hitched as he pushed his back against the large, thick trunk of a tree. _Can't get caught. Gotta get away. _He tried to slow his panting breaths down so that the sound of his quick breathing wouldn't give him away to his pursuer. He felt a bundle of nervous excitement building up in his stomach as he pressed his back against the bark and crouched down at the foot of the tree. _So this is what a mission feels like_, he thought._ Just like Mom and Dad go on. I can't give myself away. I have to stay hidden or else-_

It was too late! He was trapped in the shadow of his hunter.

"Found you," the silver-haired boy said, grinning under his mask.

Iruka frowned at him.

"You always find me too fast! When I'm it, I take forever…"

He tried not to let his pout show. Kakashi held onto his triumphant look until Iruka noticed something moving at his feet behind the tall grass. Kakashi quickly stepped to the side, as if trying to cover something up, but Iruka was too fast for him. The eight-year-old jerked the grass aside with one hand to reveal…Pak-kun. He gaped slightly and then turned angrily to Kakashi with fire burning in his eyes.

"You…CHEATED!"

Kakashi smiled crookedly and immediately sped away, laughing.

"I don't need Pak-kun to smell _you!_"

The younger boy raced after him, furious.

"Hey! Get back here!"

He didn't catch up with the nine-year-old until they had made it back into the residential part of the village. Kakashi was still laughing between gasping breaths, Pak-kun sitting lazily at his feet. Iruka gave him a glare as he caught up but hid a small smirk that had come from enjoying the chase.

"I _don't _smell," he informed him, "You're the one who sleeps with dogs."

Kakashi and Pak-kun both frowned.

"And what's wrong with that?" the pug challenged, showing Iruka a glimpse of small white teeth to encourage the appropriate answer.

"Nothing," Iruka muttered, "Are you going home, Kakashi-kun?"

"Not yet," the older boy replied, "Sensei said he'd meet me at Ichiraku. He said you could come too."

The remains of Iruka's frown vanished and were replaced by a grin.

"All right! Ramen!"

He sped off towards the small restaurant, leaving Kakashi and Pak-kun staring blankly after him.

"Where did that energy come from?" the exhausted boy asked the dog.

A huff was all he received in reply.

Kakashi and Pak-kun joined Iruka and Sensei at the ramen restaurant. The masked boy sat down and greeted them before deciding what he wanted for lunch. His guardian grinned at him as he watched Kakashi squeeze the soft and bouncy paw pad Pak-kun had offered him. Once everyone's food had arrived, the Yellow Flash began explaining the reason for this meeting.

"Kakashi-kun, tomorrow, we're setting out on the first A-rank mission we've had in a while."

Kakashi looked up from his bowl in interest. An A-rank mission! It really had been a long time. Most ninja children Kakashi's age had never even dreamed of going on such a high-ranking mission so early, but Kakashi had already been on two. These missions were always extremely dangerous, even scary sometimes. There were more risks involved…and often a lot of killing.

Sensei's expression remained serious, but he put a reassuring hand on his ward's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll be going on this one with you. It'll be a breeze."

"I'm not scared," Kakashi told him, calmly taking another sip of ramen as if to support this fact.

Why did Sensei look so _concerned?_

_He knows I can take care of myself_, the chuunin thought. _He shouldn't act all worried about me. _

"Of course you're not," the blonde man agreed, giving the chuunin's hair an affectionate ruffle.

He turned back to his ramen and resumed his own slurping. Kakashi stared down into his bowl and saw his vague reflection in the broth. He really was still just a kid. His face was small and rounded. There was nothing mature in his features, except maybe his eyes, which stared down at the soup coldly the way only an adult could.

"Hey, Kakashi," Iruka said, grinning up from his bowl once the last noodle had slipped past his lips, "Let's play ninja tag next."

"Okay," Kakashi agreed, allowing his mood to lift a little.

"You boys don't stay out too late. I want you back by sunset so you can get a good night's sleep before tomorrow. Okay, Kakashi?"

"Yes, Sensei."

The Yellow Flash paid for the food and headed home as the two young ninja returned to the training grounds. Kakashi walked a little slower than his friend, eyes watching the road beneath his feet. _An A-rank mission. I wonder how it'll be. _His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden tap on the shoulder.

"You're it first!" Iruka yelled before speeding away and bounding up into the trees.

The chuunin smirked.

"You're going to be sorry you said that!" he yelled after him.

He chased the younger boy through the branches and caught up easily. After he had tagged Iruka, he spun around and fled, the laughter of his friend echoing behind him. Kakashi smirked beneath his mask. There was nothing else to think about while playing the game except having fun. It was a relief to get the heavier thoughts off of his mind and just enjoy himself for a while, the way children his age were supposed to. Once the brown-haired boy got frustrated from his lack of success, Kakashi slowed down – just a little.

Sunset came inevitably. Kakashi and Iruka walked home and stopped in front of Sensei's house as the sky reddened behind them.

"I'll see you when you get back from your mission," Iruka said, giving his friend's shoulder a pat, "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Kakashi said, turning towards the house, "I'll see you when I get back. Goodnight, Iruka."

He waved as the younger boy headed down the street back towards his own house. When he couldn't see him anymore, Kakashi let his hand drop and went inside.

The next morning, not long after the sun had risen, Kakashi and the Yellow Flash walked through Konoha's gates out into the forest. Sensei carried a large backpack full of supplies while Kakashi carried a slightly smaller one with extra weapons and other various necessities. They met up with two other shinobi who had been assigned to their cell. One was tall and had blonde hair like Sensei. The other was a bit shorter and had dark brown hair that he kept pushed back behind his ears. The Yellow Flash and Kakashi greeted them; then, together, the four bounded through the trees, headed in the direction of the Mist.

Kakashi kept up with his sensei easily, though the blonde man tried to maintain a slow pace so the nine-year-old ninja wouldn't get tired. Their other two teammates exchanged looks, but acted like they didn't care if the team traveled slower. The group stopped for a break only once to rest and take a soldier pill to keep from getting hungry. Then, they were off again, traveling until they finally arrived at their destination right as the sun began to slip away into the west. The night would give them the cover they needed for the infiltration.

Kakashi peeked at the campsite before them through the leaves of the tree he sat in. It wasn't too impressive, but the guards did seem well armed. There was a solid defense around the commander's quarters. Small tents covered the clearing along the edges, housing many wary soldiers. Kakashi could sense the chakra of a few ninja as well. There weren't many of them, but their chakra levels were all above average. The small shinobi worried that his team would be short too many ninja to complete this mission. His sensei was far more confident.

"I'll take the frontal attack," he told his team, "Kakashi, you cover me from behind, and you two spread out to the sides to take the soldiers who will be coming in from the outside tents."

All three nodded and did as their leader commanded. Kakashi could feel the wind whip against his face as he rushed forward, silver hair sweeping behind him. He pulled out a kunai and held it before him, preparing himself for an encounter with the first enemy.

A cry of alarm sounded throughout the camp, as the guards realized they were being attacked. Kakashi found himself locked in battle with one of the well-trained shinobi protecting the outside tents. His sensei had run off ahead of him to continue to the commander's tent. The boy had no time to think of him. His enemy was attempting to disarm him by knocking the kunai out of his hand. Kakashi dropped the weapon purposefully, letting his opponent believe he had succeeded, but at the same time, his free hand reached back and gripped the hilt of his chakra blade. With one swift movement, the chuunin unsheathed it and brought it down on his attacker's shoulder, sending blood splattering. The red liquid drenched his own clothes as Kakashi embedded the blade into the man's heart before he had time to recover from the first blow.

There wasn't time for rest on the battlefield. Kakashi would never admit to being tired, but chuunin or not, he still had the body of a nine-year-old. He panted heavily, as he charged for the next assailant, who was running back at him at matching speed. Just before they collided, Kakashi leapt aside and ranked the man's ribs with his kunai. This guard, not even a shinobi, fell quickly with another swift blow. Kakashi could feel this man's blood splatter onto him too, mixing with the blood of the first. His hands felt sticky with it now, but he had to ignore it as another attacker came for him.

Kakashi's new opponent was more skilled than the others had been. He attacked the chuunin with a fire jutsu that forced Kakashi to dodge quickly to the side, unscathed except for a burn on the shoulder that had been the last to make it out of the jutsu's path. The boy winced in pain, but raised his arms to form his own hand seal. His opponent saw one Kakashi become three and held out his kunai readily, prepared to bring down the real one. The chuunin rushed forward with his clones, closing in on the man from the front and the sides. The shinobi's hand dove for his leg holster, and he immediately threw a shuriken at each clone, but hit only two. The third Kakashi had disappeared. Only a moment passed as the man looked around for the boy wildly before suddenly, Kakashi burst up from the ground beneath him. He held his chakra blade before him and swiped upwards, killing the man instantly.

The nine-year-old wiped away the sweat that was dripping down his forehead and mixing with the blood of his defeated foes before glancing around the campsite. It seemed like most of the guards had fled or were lying on the ground, clearly defeated. There was no sign of his teammates anywhere, not even Sensei. Kakashi rushed to the commander's tent where he knew the blonde man had gone, but it was empty. Puzzled and uneasy, he walked back onto the battlefield, only to brace himself for an attack at the first sense of enemy chakra. The guard leapt at him from behind and dodged Kakashi's chakra blade as he swung it in defense. Kakashi tried to evade the flurry of kunai and shuriken that followed, but one hit his arm, leaving a deep gash. The silver-haired boy grunted and countered quickly with a genjutsu that was meant to make the man feel like he was being bound tighter and tighter by thin barbed wire. Kakashi wasn't too skilled as a genjutsu user, though, and his opponent broke out of it easily.

Kakashi was exhausted by now, and even though he hadn't thought he'd used that much chakra, he felt drained. He held out his chakra blade defensively as the shinobi came at him. Taijutsu might be his only chance, but Kakashi was still too small to be very strong physically without a chakra boost. His chakra blade seemed to be getting shorter and was flashing in spurts of light. Kakashi's opponent grinned confidently, but the chuunin wasn't ready to give up. He lunged at the larger man and swung his weakening chakra blade. The shinobi dodged it easily, but had to guard against the round of shuriken Kakashi threw at him next. Only one sharp star embedded itself in his opponent's side. The boy punched him in the stomach, but the man just grunted and smirked slightly.

"Your pathetic punches don't hurt me, little boy."

Kakashi glared at him, fighting back the anger that might make him attack without thinking first. Using all his strength, Kakashi fell to the ground and swung his small legs towards the man's ankles, knocking his opponent down. Taken by surprise by the boy's sudden show of power, the man was unprepared to avoid the group of kunai Kakashi threw at him to keep him down until the chuunin could leap at him with the nearly depleted chakra blade. One swift slash and it was over.

Kakashi fell to his knees, all energy gone with the last of his chakra. His world was looking a bit fuzzy in the darkness, but Kakashi fought for consciousness. He couldn't pass out here, in the middle of the battlefield so far from home. He had to find Sensei.

The night was eerily quiet in the still camp. Kakashi felt alone among the corpses, and though he believed he was too brave to admit it, the chuunin was scared. There was still no sign of Sensei or his other teammates anywhere. What if something had happened to them? What if they-

"Sensei!" Kakashi cried out into the darkness.

There was no answer. The chuunin's chest rose and fell more rapidly with each panting breath. He could still feel the awful stickiness of his enemies' blood all over his clothes and skin. Even his silver hair was stained with patches of crimson. Kakashi tried to wipe it away with the palm of his hand, but only ended up spreading it further. His eyes darted around the camp desperately, scanning over the dead bodies in the hope of finding a familiar person standing there. Or at least someone alive.

The chuunin suppressed an involuntary whimper as he trudged around the bodies, still looking for his guardian. He made it to the edge of the campsite and searched from there, but there was nothing. His nose was filled with the scent of blood and freshly dead corpses. He wanted to wash the stench away with the foreign blood that covered him.

The silver-haired boy slunk into the forest and hid himself behind a clump of trees, among the brush. It felt a bit safer here, away from the lifeless stares of the dead bodies. Kakashi almost felt like he was playing hide-and-seek with Iruka, but he wasn't sure what he was hiding from. All he really wanted was to be found. The chuunin shivered as a cold breeze blew over him and peeked through the bushes back in the direction of the battlefield. _Sensei, where are you? I want to go home._

It was during those moments of hiding that Kakashi realized how afraid he really was. Afraid of everything- of dying, of being alone, of killing. Wasn't killing what a ninja was supposed to do? When the mission called for it, it had to be done, no matter who the target was. Kakashi had learned this at the academy. He had learned that a ninja was supposed to take orders and not question them. He had also learned that a ninja was supposed to show no fear or emotion towards the assignment. He had completed his mission successfully, so why was he feeling so uneasy? Was he sorry he had taken the lives of strangers?

_They attacked me,_ Kakashi thought, _I had to defend myself, or I'd be dead. _But Kakashi realized it hadn't been the camp guards who had originally attacked him. He had been part of the invading squad. His team had started the fighting. Each side had fought for its own purpose, the guards to protect their camp and Kakashi to complete a mission. Somehow it wasn't enough of a justification for him, but he was afraid to question it further.

Kakashi waited alone in the dark, hoping his strength would recover soon so he could resume his search for Sensei. _He can't be dead…No one can beat him,_ he thought, remembering what Iruka always told him.His mind drifted back to his friend, waiting for him in the village. Iruka would probably wait for him at the tree outside the academy for a while after classes let out tomorrow, hoping that Kakashi had already come home from his mission. Kakashi wished he were there instead of this place that smelled overwhelmingly of blood and death.

The gash on his arm and burn on his shoulder stung as the chuunin leaned back against a large tree, eyes blinking sleepily. He couldn't be patient any longer. Running his thumb over the deep cut, he prepared to summon the Ninken. They arrived with a cloud of smoke in the middle of his hiding spot, tails wagging. The nindogs yipped happily in greeting once they realized there was no danger near and therefore no need to keep silent. It made Kakashi feel better to know that all of the enemies were really gone. A few nindogs nuzzled the exhausted chuunin before he whispered their command.

"Go find Sensei…"

Then, with the last of his energy gone, Kakashi's eyes began to close, the image of the running nindogs fading into blackness.

_It was like living that night all over again. It felt like it had been a nightmare while it was happening, and now, it finally was. Kakashi made his way into his home after a long day of training with Sensei and called out a greeting. He was met with an unusual silence. His father always came to meet him at the door when he got back from training. He walked down the cold wooden floor of the long hallway, calling out for him._

_"Otousan?"_

_Still no answer. He called again, louder._

_"Otousan! Are you here?"_

_He pushed back the sliding door that led to his father's room. The silver-haired boy was met by more silence as he stood in the doorway, staring at the still figure lying on the ground. The room was dark, and he couldn't see clearly. He opened the door a little wider, allowing more light in. He could see the figure more clearly now. Slowly, he took a few cautious steps into the room, wondering why his father was lying on the floor. One more step soaked his foot in warm liquid that hadn't had time to cool yet. Kakashi trembled._

_"OTOUSAN!"_

Kakashi jumped as he felt a large hand place itself reassuringly on his shoulder. The chuunin stopped shaking in his sleep and opened his eyes widely. The Yellow Flash's familiar face smiled back at him. Kakashi's nindogs sat beside him, tails wagging as they looked at their small master anxiously.

"Are you okay, Kakashi-kun?"

"Sensei…"

The chuunin was suddenly overcome by the pack of Ninken that jumped to lick his face. He petted each on the head, thanked them for finding his sensei, and finally dismissed them. The blonde man was giving him a guilty look.

"I'm sorry I left you alone on the battlefield," he told him, "The commander's group tried to escape in secret during the battle, and I ended up chasing them for a good while. They put up a good fight once I caught up with them too. They were quite a handful, even for me."

Kakashi looked up at his guardian with dull eyes. The images from the battle were still fresh in his mind, as was his nightmare. He cast his gaze back down to the ground.

"Our teammates – they're dead, aren't they?" he asked quietly.

Sensei gave a sigh and stared down at the same spot with blue eyes full of regret.

"There were more guards stationed at the outer sides of the camp than we previously thought. Our teammates fought well to keep them from interfering with our fights in the middle of the camp, but they – they didn't make it out."

He said that last part a little more softly than the rest. Kakashi clenched his fists more tightly. Then they would be going home alone. The shinobi that had accompanied them here would not be returning with them. _They died for their mission_. Kakashi thought back to his father, lying in the pool of blood in the middle of his room, a dagger still weakly held in his pale motionless hands. The ninja that wouldn't let his teammates die on their mission and instead had died because of them. The thoughts sent chills down Kakashi's spine. _The way of the shinobi…It kills so many people._

"Kakashi," Sensei said before pouring some of the water from his cask onto a bandage and wiping away the dried blood from his student's forehead, "Are you sure you're okay? This was a difficult mission, and I could understand if you were-"

"I'm fine," Kakashi snapped suddenly, pushing his sensei's hand away.

As much as he wanted the blood gone, he wouldn't be fussed over.

"No," the Yellow Flash replied, "I don't think you are. What's wrong, Kakashi?"

"Nothing," the chuunin insisted, "I don't need you to treat me like a little kid. I'm not afraid."

"You were shaking when I got here."

"It was cold."

"You were crying out for your father."

Kakashi's eyes flashed up at him defensively and met the blonde man's with a cold stare. The Yellow Flash only looked sympathetic. He wanted to help his student, but part of him wasn't sure how. He remembered his first large battle, when as a young boy, the time he had realized that he wasn't just following orders – he was taking lives. The Yellow Flash's own sensei, Jiraya, hadn't been much of a comfort with his simple "that's just the way it is" for an explanation. Maybe he hadn't been able to think of anything better to say at the time.

"It's okay to be afraid," Sensei tried cautiously, "Actually we all are now and then. Even the bravest shinobi."

Kakashi didn't seem convinced. He kept his eyes turned down at the forest floor.

"They don't show it," the chuunin grumbled bitterly, "A true shinobi doesn't show his feelings."

"That's true," Sensei said, "A lot of them are good at suppressing them because that's what they feel like they have to do. But those emotions are also part of what make us human, Kakashi, and no matter what, that's always going to be what you are."

"I don't want to fight anymore," the chuunin sighed, looking down at has bloody hands, "I'm tired of killing. I don't want to take anymore lives."

The Yellow Flash was surprised at his student's sudden confession. Could the boy who had trained so hard to be good at being a ninja really want to give it all up? Just like that? The blonde man studied the chuunin for a moment before he spoke.

"Kakashi, why do you fight?"

"Because I have to," the nine-year-old replied, "To protect the village."

"And what would happen to the village if you just gave up? If you decided that they weren't worth protecting anymore?"

The chuunin was a bit taken aback. He thought of Iruka and the other children at the academy depending on him. He thought of the Uminos and other ninja families working to protect the civilians that couldn't defend themselves. And what was he doing? He just wanted to run away.

"I can't let anything happen to them," the chuunin said decidedly, looking up at his sensei again, "I want to keep protecting them."

His mentor smiled at him warmly.

"When a shinobi starts fighting blindly, that's when the killing becomes meaningless," he told his student, "Fight for what you want to protect, and don't forget why you're doing it."

Kakashi nodded. He tried to rise, but his strength hadn't seemed to return to him yet. His sensei smiled and bent forward to wrap his arms around his student. Slowly, he picked up a protesting chuunin and hung the nine-year-old over his shoulder.

"Just call it teamwork," he said with a smile, and Kakashi stopped struggling.

As his sensei bounded through the trees, Kakashi couldn't help but feel relieved at the thought of going home, back to Konoha. _Maybe because of today, I have a home to return to_, he mused thoughtfully. He hadn't been told exactly how the targets were a threat to his village, but he was sure they hadn't been just a client's request. Sensei never looked so serious when the job they were doing was just for money. Kakashi realized that his teacher's reason for fighting was the same as his own and probably the same as most of Konoha's shinobi. They all fought to protect what was important to them – their village and all of the people there who depended on them.

The Yellow Flash sensed a calmness come over his student as the small boy slowly fell asleep on the blonde man's shoulder. Maybe Kakashi understood what being a shinobi was about a little more now, thanks to him. He didn't have to doubt his motives anymore since he had discovered what was worth protecting. His guardian couldn't help but smirk smugly and give himself a mental high-five.

_I'm such a good sensei…_

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**A/N: Sorry this one took so long! I hope you enjoyed it. I had originally planned for Iruka to play a bigger part in it, but it didn't turn out that way. Some chapters might be dominated by one or the other, but I'm working on getting them to share. XD Till next time!**

**-K.I.**


	4. Rivals

**Rivals **

"Iruka!"

The tan boy stirred in his bed as he heard his mother call his name. He blinked sleepily and shielded his eyes from the sunlight pouring in through his window. Iruka was used to waking up early, but last night, he had stayed up late with Kakashi. The Uminos had invited his friend over for the night while the silver-haired boy's sensei was gone on a long mission. Kakashi, happy to get away from the empty house, had met Iruka by the tree as soon as the younger boy had gotten out of the academy. They had played until dinner and stayed up the rest of the night talking about training and what Iruka was going to do when he graduated from the academy.

"Do you think Sensei will take me on his team?" he had asked, "I want to stay with you!"

"I don't know. Don't they usually keep kids from the same class together?"

Iruka had frowned.

"I don't know who I'd want to be teamed up with from my class…"

"Don't worry about it. It's still a couple of years away."

Somehow this had not made Iruka feel any better. He wanted to catch up with his friend so badly, but part of him kept saying it was impossible. Kakashi was years ahead of him even though he really wasn't that much older. Even though Iruka had just turned nine, it would be three more years before he graduated from the academy. Then, he'd have to wait till he was ready to take the chuunin exams because he would still only be a gennin. What if Kakashi was already a jounin by then? Iruka tried not to let jealousy get the better of him. He was proud of his friend and didn't even envy his rank sometimes when he heard Kakashi's stories about the type of missions he went on. Would Iruka ever be ready for that?

He saw Kakashi stir tiredly on the futon next to him. The chuunin was a light sleeper, but he was also not a morning person, so even though Mrs. Umino's call had woken him up, he just closed his eyes to go back to sleep. Iruka crept by him as silently as he could and went to go meet his mother, who was out in the kitchen.

"Morning, Okasan," Iruka yawned.

"Good morning to you, sleepyhead," his mother replied, "Is Kakashi-kun awake?"

Iruka shook his head. He stretched as he watched his mother shuffle around the kitchen, checking on what she had cooking.

"He's still sleeping," Iruka said, "but I think he'll wake up soon."

"All right, then. When you're both ready, come back for breakfast. You don't want to be late to the academy."

Her son nodded before walking back to the bedroom. When he got there, he saw that Kakashi had changed his mind about going back to bed. He was still lying down, however, and looked up at Iruka from the floor with sleepy eyes.

"Breakfast is going to be ready soon," Iruka told his friend.

"Sounds good," Kakashi said with a slight smirk, "I'm hungry."

The chuunin rose from the futon that had been laid out for him and rolled it back up. Then, he and Iruka changed out of their pajamas and went to the kitchen.

"So, training today?" Iruka asked with a mouth full of rice and egg.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Mrs. Umino chided.

Iruka swallowed with a big gulp as Kakashi nodded.

"Sensei won't be back till later, so I was going to practice on the training grounds for a while until he gets back."

"Can I come? I can meet you there after I get out of class."

Kakashi gave a nod, and Iruka smiled excitedly.

"I'll still be there," the chuunin said, "Sensei told me that we're going on another big mission soon. I want to make sure I'm ready."

"You train so hard, Kakashi-kun," Iruka's mother said, impressed, "No wonder you're such a fine shinobi."

Kakashi turned a bit red at the praise, much to Iruka's amusement.

"Yes, Kakashi-kun, you're such a fine shinobi," he imitated in a high voice.

Both Kakashi and Mrs. Umino glared at him.

"Iruka, stop teasing him and finish your breakfast," she told her son.

"Yes, Okasan," Iruka mumbled, and went back to shoveling food into his mouth.

Despite Iruka's fast eating skills, Kakashi still finished before him. The chuunin thanked Iruka's mother and prepared to leave for the training grounds.

"Hey, wait for me!" his friend called from the table, still gulping down the last bits of his breakfast.

"You're too slow," Kakashi said with a slight smirk.

"I'm almost done," Iruka insisted as he took one last bite from his plate.

"You have to go to the academy anyway," the silver-haired boy told him, "I'm going further."

"But we can go together," his friend said, "The academy's on the way. Just wait a sec."

Kakashi sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get there any faster if he kept talking about it. It wasn't as if he was in much of a hurry anyway. He waited patiently for his friend to pull on his shoes, and finally, the two were off.

Iruka struggled to keep up as the older and faster chuunin sped ahead of him. With each chakra-powered leap, he felt as if he was getting closer, but Kakashi always seemed to remain out of reach, no matter how quickly Iruka tried to go. Frustrated, he called out after his friend.

"Hey, Kakashi! Slow down!"

The chuunin gave him a puzzled look over his shoulder. Iruka frowned in response. His friend slowed down for him a bit, but didn't look happy about it.

"You've got to keep up," he told him, "On missions, shinobi travel much faster than this."

"I'm not slow!" Iruka said defensively, "You're just a bit faster than me."

Kakashi shook his head.

"It's okay, Iruka. You still have time to train and bring your speed up. Don't forget, you're a year younger than me."

The brown-haired boy would rather not have been reminded. Everything Kakashi had excelled at over him had always been a result of his exceptional skills as a prodigy ninja. Iruka knew that even if he had been the older one, Kakashi still would have surpassed him, so he wondered how much age had to do with any of it.

"I'm fast enough now!" he told him, "Race you to the academy!"

With that, he sped off, attempting to leave Kakashi in the dust. The chuunin stared blankly after him and followed with large bounding leaps. When the two finally reached the academy, they landed at the gates at approximately the same time. Iruka huffed to catch his breath but still held a victorious gleam in his eyes.

"See? I won! I'm faster than you are."

"No, it was a tie."

"I touched the ground first! Admit it – you lost to an academy student."

"I didn't."

Iruka frowned at him, noticing that he wasn't even breaking a sweat. His breathing was even, as if he had just taken a stroll around the village. Had Kakashi tied on purpose?

"You weren't going as fast as you could have, huh?" Iruka asked finally, "You could have beaten me here if you had wanted to."

Kakashi didn't deny it. He hadn't wanted to make Iruka disappointed, but he also refused to let his friend gloat about a victory he hadn't really won. He had thought this would be the best way.

"We tied," he said, "That's all."

Iruka didn't buy it, but didn't have time to argue anymore as the students started pouring into the building. He said a hasty goodbye to Kakashi and followed his classmates into the academy.

The chuunin continued on to the training ground and started going through the drills that his sensei had taught him. He worked on his chakra control, accuracy, strength, and speed. He ran laps around the training grounds and practiced with his weapons in the target range. By the time Iruka came, Kakashi was worn out. He sat beneath one of the trees, catching his breath as the younger boy came up to him.

"Done already?" he grinned, "I thought you'd still be going."

"I've been practicing for hours," the chuunin panted, "It's time for a break."

"Sounds like easy training to me," Iruka said as he sat down next to his friend, enjoying the moment of relaxation just as much as the chuunin, who no doubt needed it more.

"Just a bit longer," Kakashi sighed and leaned back against the tree.

Iruka thought he looked as if he was going to fall asleep. The brown-haired boy appreciated the light breeze blowing through the training ground; it was a fairly hot day. The visible part of Kakashi's pale face was slightly sunburned, and Iruka knew it'd be a funny sight when he saw the chuunin's bare face with its new mask tan line.

After a few moments, Kakashi rose slowly to his feet, ready to resume his training. Iruka jumped up after him, excited to be training with his friend who would surely teach him what he needed to know to surpass his classmates. Iruka had been falling behind a bit in class lately; he hated watching his classmates surpass him in exams and physical tests while he struggled. He was more determined than ever to train with his friend so that he could pull ahead.

"What are we going to do first?" he asked anxiously.

"I already went through most of the drills," Kakashi answered, "Warm up with some laps and target practice. Then we can spar."

"Spar?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Fighting me will be good practice for you, and I've done almost everything except spar since Sensei's not here."

"You don't have to go easy on me," Iruka replied indignantly, "I can handle whatever you throw at me!"

Kakashi's eyes crinkled slightly with amusement and pride at his friend's confidence.

"We'll see after you've warmed up. Now go ahead."

Iruka didn't need to be told; he was already sprinting around the training grounds in preparation for their mock battle. Kakashi went to the target range to practice throwing his kunai and shuriken until his friend had finished. Iruka joined him not long after. As soon as the two had finished their target practice, they went to the center of the main field to fight.

"Let's lay down the rules," Kakashi told him, "No lethal jutsu, no leaving this training field, and no summons. The first one to give up or be unable to continue fighting loses. If you or I get in a lock or jutsu we can't get out of, we have to quit. Sound okay?"

Iruka nodded.

"I'm ready when you are," he told the chuunin.

"Good," Kakashi said, "Then let's start!"

Iruka ran forward first, but Kakashi wasn't surprised. He waited for his friend to approach him and then dodged at the last minute. Iruka stumbled forward, missing his target completely. Frustrated, he turned to the spot were Kakashi had moved, several feet away. Iruka came at him again, but Kakashi formed a quick hand seal and suddenly split into three. Iruka looked around at them for a moment, baffled, but he focused on the one closest to him. He turned to aim a punch at it, throwing all of his force into the motion. His target disappeared in a cloud of smoke as soon as he made contact however, and Iruka was unprepared as the real Kakashi dropped low to the ground and kicked his legs out from under him. The younger boy fell to the ground, but was on his feet again instantly, ready to counter whatever the chuunin decided to throw at him next.

_It's going to be hard to win this one just by hitting him_, the nine-year-old thought, _I need to come up with a plan._

Iruka evaded the next round of punches the two remaining Kakashis threw at him. He struck one as it was flying past him, and the clone disappeared to leave the real chuunin standing before him.

"Not bad," the older boy admitted.

"Stop going easy on me!" Iruka demanded.

"Who said I was going easy?"

"I know you can do better than that! You didn't pass the chuunin exams by using shadow clones!"

"You can't handle more than shadow clones."

"Try me!" Iruka challenged and held his ground.

Kakashi looked at him right in the eyes and saw that he was serious. He didn't want to hurt his friend, but he knew Iruka wouldn't buy any more faking. He'd give him a challenge then. This fight would only be over sooner.

"I hope you're ready," Kakashi told him.

"Always," the younger boy replied confidently.

Kakashi didn't wait for another cue. He shot off towards Iruka as fast as he could. All Iruka saw was a blur of black and silver before Kakashi's fist connected with his stomach. The chuunin tried to hold back just a bit, but the force of his attack was still enough to knock his friend to the ground. Iruka fell with a sharp cry that made Kakashi flinch. _Did I go too far?_

Iruka lay on the floor clutching his stomach while Kakashi stood over him worriedly.

"Iruka, are you okay? I didn't mean to-"

"Fine," Iruka told him, scrambling to his feet despite the pang of pain he still felt.

Kakashi really had hit him hard. There'd be a bruise there tomorrow for sure. Iruka didn't care though. His only concern was to finish the fight.

"This isn't over yet!" he said, "I can still keep going."

Kakashi was impressed by his friend's endurance. He put his arms up in front of him, ready to fend off the coming attack. Iruka glared at the chuunin and reached for his shuriken. He threw a round of weapons at Kakashi, but the silver-haired boy dodged them with well-practiced ease. Iruka grew more frustrated and charged at him, hoping to catch him with a punch before Kakashi had time to react. The chuunin saw Iruka's fist coming and moved aside. Iruka had thought a step ahead, though, and before Kakashi had the time to look down, the brown-haired boy's foot had connected with his shin. The chuunin staggered backwards. Shocked that he had actually been hit, Kakashi stared at Iruka with a stunned expression. His friend smirked back at him and took advantage of the opening to aim another punch at Kakashi's abdomen. The chuunin had decided he was through messing around, though, and caught Iruka's punch in his own hand, gripping it tightly.

_I can't let my guard down anymore, _Kakashi thought, _If I can just get him in a lock, this will be over._

He grabbed for Iruka's other hand, but the younger boy avoided him, trying to pull free. Kakashi pulled back, determined to outdo him in strength, and for a moment, the two were playing tug-of-war with Iruka's arm. Thinking quickly, Iruka suddenly gave in. As Kakashi stumbled backwards, Iruka used the momentum to throw himself forward, right at Kakashi. His fist met the surprised chuunin's stomach as both he and his attacker fell to the floor with a thump. Iruka landed on top of Kakashi and grabbed both of his friend's arms, pinning them to the floor. The chuunin was still in shock after falling for such a simple trick. His stomach hurt and now he could barely move his arms. Iruka was sitting on his stomach, and Kakashi felt like he couldn't breathe properly even though his friend wasn't pressing down on his lungs. He thrashed around, trying to knock Iruka off, but the younger boy held him down as best he could. The slight difference in size wasn't enough to make throwing him off easy. Even though Kakashi had trained hard and was stronger than the other boy, Iruka's determination to win had seemed to give him strength to match.

"Give up," Iruka grunted, "You can't fight anymore. I've won."

The chuunin wouldn't admit it. He refused to acknowledge that he, a chuunin, could be beaten by a younger boy who hadn't even graduated the academy yet. _It's impossible. Why did I let my guard down? I held back too much, even after I said I wouldn't. He's not going to let me forget it if I let him win now._

Kakashi stopped his thrashing and went limp for a moment. Iruka looked at him skeptically, wondering if Kakashi would really admit defeat, but all the chuunin needed was that second of hesitation to throw everything into a single movement that sent the younger boy toppling off of him. He threw up both his right arm and leg and used the unbalanced force to roll them over so that he was the one pinning Iruka to the floor. Stunned at the sudden change of positions, Iruka stared up at Kakashi blankly.

"You left yourself open," Kakashi panted, a bit tired from his struggle before, "Now you're the one who has to give up."

Iruka gritted his teeth and struggled. Though Kakashi was more worn out than his energetic friend, he had little trouble keeping himself from being knocked off.

"This isn't fair," Iruka protested, "I won! You were going to give up."

"But I didn't," Kakashi told him, "You can't let your guard down until you're sure that the battle is over. It's a simple rule."

"I'm not going to lose!" Iruka yelled, "Just because you're a chuunin doesn't mean you're better than me!"

"WELL SAID, MY YOUNG COMRADE!" a high voice suddenly echoed from the edge of the clearing.

Kakashi looked in the direction that it had come from and stared at the intruder who approached them in the middle of their battle. It was a boy that looked about his age, but with a very unusual appearance. He wore a tight green jumpsuit with light orange legwarmers. He had a neat bowl-cut and smiled with bright shiny white teeth. Kakashi had never seen a stranger child in all his ten years.

"I SHALL AID YOU IN THIS STRIFE AND TOGETHER, WE WILL DEFEAT YOUR FORMIDABLE OPPONENT!" the boy squeaked, the words sounding far too big in his mouth.

"I don't need your help!" Iruka growled from the floor, trying to shove off a very distracted Kakashi.

"Who are you?" the chuunin asked the green-clad boy.

"My name is Maito Gai!" the boy replied, in a slightly quieter, but more serious tone, "I have trained hard in the art of taijutsu to protect those weaker than me and overcome those who abuse their power in order to bring harm to others!"

"We were just training," Kakashi replied coolly, "You're interrupting our practice battle."

Iruka was still struggling beneath him, trying to take advantage of his distraction by using the same method Kakashi had used on him. The chuunin wouldn't be overcome so easily, though. He kept his weight on Iruka so the younger boy couldn't roll them back over. Gai watched them, as if trying to decide if he still wanted to interfere further after Kakashi's dismissal.

"If you're just going to stand there," Iruka grunted finally, close to defeat, "At least help me give Kakashi a real sparring match!"

Kakashi stared at his friend in disbelief as the intruder cried out gleefully from beside them.

"I WOULD BE HONORED TO ASSIST YOU IN THIS BATTLE!" he shouted with all his renewed enthusiasm.

Immediately, he leapt at Kakashi, landing a roundhouse kick before the chuunin even had time to react. Kakashi toppled off Iruka and landed with a thump on the grass. He scowled at his attacker from the ground.

"Two against one isn't fair."

"You're a chuunin," Iruka pointed out, "We're both academy students. This makes it even."

Kakashi frowned at him.

"Fine," he said, "If that's how you want it. I won't hold back this time."

"That's exactly how I want it," Iruka replied with a smirk.

"Alright then. Let's start."

Kakashi had barely blinked before Gai shot towards him. The chuunin was impressed by his speed, but the other boy was still too slow for him. Kakashi stepped aside and let the green blur shoot past him. Iruka had followed right after him, and though the younger boy was slower, he was too focused to just blow by Kakashi the way Gai had. The chuunin blocked him as Iruka's fist came down at his stomach. Iruka swung again, this time higher. Kakashi grabbed his friend's arm and used his momentum to throw him over his shoulder. Iruka landed on the floor roughly but unhurt. Kakashi realized in a panic that he hadn't seen where Gai had gone. The other boy surely hadn't taken that long to recover from missing his target. He whipped around just in time to see Gai leaping at him. Kakashi ducked, crouching on the floor before he lifted his feet off the ground to kick his attacker in the stomach. Gai was knocked backwards and fell. He clutched his abdomen painfully but was back on his feet within seconds, ready to continue the fight.

Iruka attacked again from behind; Kakashi was able to avoid him this time, but had no time to recover before Gai came at him with a flurry of punches and kicks. The chuunin had no trouble blocking him, but he had to admit that he was getting worn out. He rarely fought two or more people at once on the battlefield and never during training unless Sensei had made some shadow clones. These were two real opponents he was facing, however, and he had to make sure to bring them both down quickly without injuring them too badly.

_The numbers are against me, _he thought,_ I can make it fairer by creating some shadow clones, but I'll need to use some other techniques too…_

Kakashi multiplied himself into three, and both clones stood with him, facing their opponents. Gai and Iruka attacked the clones immediately, and both of Kakashi's copies disappeared in a puff of smoke. The boys leapt at the remaining Kakashi at the same time, but when they came in contact, this Kakashi also disappeared, leaving a large wooden stump in his place.

"A substitution jutsu?" Iruka asked surprised.

He had never seen his friend use that before, though he didn't doubt that he knew it.

"Our opponent has disappeared!" Gai stated.

"Obviously," Iruka grumbled, looking around the battlefield in search of Kakashi.

The chuunin was nowhere to be seen, however. He seemed to be biding his time.

"Maybe we should split up and search for him," Iruka suggested.

"No, my comrade!" Gai argued, "It is far better to stay together and fight as a team! We should not risk being ambushed alone."

He had a point there, Iruka had to admit. The two boys stood back to back, scanning the terrain for any sign of Kakashi, but wherever the chuunin had gone he was keeping himself well hidden.

_He would have attacked by now, _Iruka thought, _Not to the left. Not to the right. Not in front and not behind. Could he really be…?_

Before he had time to finish the thought, the ground beneath his feet shifted and two hands suddenly shot out. One grabbed Iruka's ankle, and the other latched around Gai's left legwarmer before the dark-haired boy had any idea what was going on. Together, they were pulled right into the ground so far down that they were buried up to their necks in the soil. Kakashi emerged moments later, looking down at the two dumbstruck boys with an amused glint in his eyes.

"I've been working on that one. You can't move, can you?"

Iruka grunted and struggled in place, trying to free himself from the tightly binding hole. It didn't do any good, though, and Gai wasn't anymore successful.

"Alas, I must admit defeat," the other boy confessed finally.

"Me too," Iruka sighed, his voice full of resentment, "but I'll win next time! Don't let your guard down, Kakashi. I won't be beaten so easily once I've trained some more!"

"I'll keep that in mind," the chuunin assured him, reaching down to pull his friend out of the soil.

After he had Iruka out, he walked over to Gai, and together, Kakashi and Iruka pulled him out of the ground as well. The silver-haired boy looked exhausted now. Iruka wondered how he had found the strength to pull both of them under. _I wonder how much he was really holding back, _the younger boy thought bitterly. Unlike Iruka, however, Gai seemed surprisingly happy after his loss.

"Your fighting skills are nothing short of amazing! Even the skills I've acquired through my intense training, which has bested many of my own youthful peers, was no match! You've proven yourself a worthy opponent. From this day on, I'll train even harder so that I may one day become even greater. We are now eternal rivals!"

Kakashi just stared at him, half wondering if he should have left the loudmouthed boy in the dirt to dig himself out. Iruka seemed a mixture of amused and embarrassed by the other boy's short speech. _Him _take on Kakashi-kun? The scar-faced boy had to admit that he kind of admired Gai's determination, despite the other boy's ignorance of what he was getting himself into.

"Someday we'll both beat you," Iruka told his friend with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"You can _try_," Kakashi shot back with a good-natured smile.

The two boys braced themselves for Gai's blinding grin. The strange boy gave a quick farewell and rushed off to resume his training immediately. Kakashi knew Sensei would be impressed with that kind of motivation.

"I think we're done with our own training for today," he said to Iruka, who was still trying to brush dirt off of his now not-so-white shirt and pants, "It looks like Sensei is going to be back late."

"Let's go home for dinner!" Iruka said cheerfully, the thought of his mother's cooking quickly putting him back in good spirits, even after his loss to Kakashi.

The chuunin agreed, and together, the two of them made their way back into the central part of the village, on the way to the Umino's house. Kakashi stared at the sky, absently wondering when Sensei would come home. Iruka's mind was partly on his mother's cooking, but mostly, he was thinking over the battle. What would it take to finally overcome the chuunin? He felt as if he had been so close, but he had to admit to himself that Kakashi couldn't have been fighting him at full power, even for a non-lethal match. It frightened him a bit to think of what his friend might be capable of in a life or death situation. _He really isn't that much older than me…_

Kakashi came out of his own thoughts and looked at his friend curiously. Iruka was wearing an expression that was far too serious for him.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, "You're not mad because you lost, are you?"

Iruka snapped back to reality and frowned.

"You're a tough opponent," the tan boy said grudgingly, "Any kid younger than you would have lost."

"You put up a good fight too," the older boy told him, "You almost had me for a moment."

"You let me do that."

"No, I didn't," Kakashi admitted, "but I did let my guard down because I underestimated you. Next time, I won't make that mistake."

His eyes squinted slightly in a smile, and Iruka couldn't help but feel proud for being acknowledged as an opponent who should be taken seriously in the future. He had proved that he was not just some weak little kid that a chuunin could just ignore. He didn't have the strength or the skills his friend had, but maybe he would be able to find his own way to make up for it.

"Race you to my house!" the younger boy yelled suddenly and bolted off.

"W-what?" Kakashi gasped, breathlessly.

His friend must have known how exhausted the chuunin was. _Oh well, _Kakashi thought with a reluctant smirk, _At least if he wins this one, it won't be because I let him. _He hurried after Iruka with heavy panting breaths passing through his mask, determined to give the other boy a challenge despite his exhaustion. Far ahead of him, Iruka's laughter echoed down the streets of Konoha.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! I wanted to get another chapter out before summer is over. I hope school doesn't slow the updates up too much either. Did you enjoy the chapter? It's interesting trying to write the personalities and changing maturity levels of the boys as they grow older. I'm looking forward to writing more! I tried to make this chapter more Iruka-central, but I didn't get his home life in there as much as I had hoped. I want to write more about the Uminos! XD Thanks for reading.**

**-K.I.**


	5. Lessons

**Lessons**

Fire – it was burning everywhere. Iruka could feel the sweat dripping down the sides of his face as the heat surrounded him. He looked all around, searching for a way out, but all he could see were flames. Far away, he could hear voices mixed in with the sizzling crackle of his world being consumed, but he couldn't make out whom they belonged to at first. Something about them sounded familiar, he realized. It was almost as if they were calling his name.

"Iruka! Iruka, run away! Get out of here!"

" I c-can't," the young boy choked back, coughing as smoke entered his lungs, "There's no way out!"

"Don't die here!" the voice wailed, clearer now, "Please-"

It was desperate and begging. Iruka still didn't recognize whom it belonged to, but he could feel a sickening twist in his stomach as he realized it might be someone he knew, whose voice had been grossly mutated. _Not her…_

"Iruka!"

A face burst through the flames directly in front of him, and Iruka saw what he had feared seeing most – the burned and distorted face of his mother. He couldn't stand to look at her burned flesh or hear her weak damaged voice. He closed his eyes, covered his ears, and screamed.

"Iruka. Iruka!"

The voice was different now. It was smoother, comforting, normal. Something about it was also familiar, but he couldn't remember whom it belonged to either.

"IRUKA! KAI!"

The tan boy blinked. It wasn't hot anymore, but he was still sweating. He winced against the bright light of the sun as several eyes fixed themselves upon him. There was a patch of grass beneath his feet, still healthy and green. Not burnt. Slowly, Iruka began to remember where he was. It wasn't anywhere near a fire – it was outside…with his classmates.

"Iruka, you're the only one who wasn't able to break out of the genjutsu," his sensei told him, frowning with disapproval, "Did you allow yourself to believe everything you experienced was real?"

"It _was _real!" Iruka insisted, "I was hot, and I could smell smoke."

"That was a mid-level genjutsu," his sensei corrected him, "It affects every one of your five senses. Weren't you paying attention when I explained this in class?"

Iruka looked away embarrassedly. He knew he had heard his sensei mention this, but experiencing it had been a whole different story. He had actually felt like he was going to _burn_ up. He looked down at his hands and checked himself over again, but he was fine – no singes, nothing. _How can I be the only one to fall for that genjutsu?, _he thought bitterly. _I wonder if they all saw the same thing I did._

He turned to see his sensei already preparing for the next round of training, and Iruka frowned at the possibility of failing to expel even more horrible images. _Only two more years till we graduate. No one'll let me live it down if I freak out over every little genjutsu. I gotta break out of the next one. _This one didn't even turn out to be scary; but Iruka was enjoying his fantasy world of playing with his classmates at the lake so much that he forgot he was supposed to be reaching back for the real world. It earned him another lecture from his sensei. The genjutsu that followed were more frightening than any that had come before. In one, a large monstrous creature towered over him as shinobi he had seen around the village were dying left and right. Iruka struggled, but by the time he broke out of it, he was shaking pretty hard and time had already been called.A classmate wetting his pants later on made him feel a little better.

The end of the school day came quicker than Iruka expected. Usually the afternoons before a day off just dragged on, but now Iruka found himself outside the academy building wondering what he should do with his newfound free time. He walked towards the tree with the swing before realizing that Kakashi wouldn't be meeting him there today. His friend was still off on a mission. _Too bad he's not here, _Iruka thought to himself, _I'm sure he could help me with the genjutsu. _The dark-skinned boy was not at all pleased with today's performance. There had to be someone who could help him get better at it over the break. He wanted nothing more than to come back having mastered it to the point where he could show off his new skills without any trouble. _Let them laugh then_. Iruka knew his parents weren't too skilled in the area either and blamed his genes for a while until he thought of someone else who might be able to help him.

A few minutes later, he found himself outside this person's door. As it opened, he was greeted with a smile.

"Oh, Iruka! Good to see you. You know Kakashi's out, right?"

The tan boy nodded and looked up at the blond man with his best pleading eyes.

"I came to see you, Sensei. Can you please help train me in breaking out of genjutsu?"

"You want _my_ help, huh?" the Yellow Flash asked with a small laugh, "What about your parents?"

"They're not any better at this stuff than I am," Iruka mumbled, remembering his father's last attempt to teach him resistance against genjutsu.

It had ended with Iruka quivering on the floor and sleeping next to his mother for a week. _Actually I think they're worse._

"Well, I have to admit it's not my favorite area either, but I can help you out if you like," the man told him, "I have a bit of time early tomorrow if you think you can get up."

Iruka made a face at the thought of rising early on his day off, but he nodded.

"Thanks, Sensei!"

The next day, the two of them were standing on the practice field. Iruka gave a sleepy yawn but then tried his best to look awake. His mother had had to drag him out of bed herself since Iruka had asked her the night before to wake him up so he wouldn't miss his lesson. He had eaten breakfast in a hurry, but had still arrived on the field not long after Sensei had gotten there.

"Ready for today's lesson?" the blonde man asked.

"Yep!" Iruka chirped, determined not to look tired anymore.

He would have to be on full alert for this.

"Good. We'll start with a lower level genjutsu and work our way up."

The tan boy nodded. He was confident in his ability to dispel the lowest level of genjutsu at least, but he was sure he could learn more from practicing with them that would help him fight against the stronger ones.

"First," Sensei said, "You have to get a feel for where you are. Look around – attach yourself to this place so that you won't get sucked away into a world that doesn't exist."

Iruka glanced around him and took in everything on the training ground – the stretch of grass he and Sensei were standing on, the trees that lined the sides, and even the partly cloudy sky above. He closed his eyes and memorized the sounds and smells of the place he was standing in. He could sense Sensei watching him even though his world was dark.

"Focus," the voice said, "Don't let yourself drift away from where you are. Don't think about anything outside this training field. When I try to take you away, fight back with your mind and remember what this place _feels _like. Try to get back here."

Iruka nodded slowly. He felt like he was going into a trance. _Is this how people meditate?_ He kept his mind attached to the training ground, and it wasn't until a few moments later that he felt himself being pulled away. Heat- he felt himself getting warmer. He was pretty sure his eyes were still closed, but he was starting to see his parents standing before him. _Okasan? Otosan? Where did you come from? You're not- You're not supposed to be here. _Though it was difficult, Iruka tried to pull his mind away from his parents and think of the training field again.

"Iruka…"

They were calling his name now. It all seemed so real. Those voices – they were exactly what Iruka's parents sounded like. _No, _Iruka thought, _It's fake. My parents aren't here. I'm on the training grounds with Sensei. Focus. _He pushed his mind away from their voices and tried to picture the grass and trees. There. He could feel them now. He had gotten a sense of where he was again.

"Iruka."

The voice was different now. It didn't belong to either one of Iruka's parents, but it wasn't Sensei's voice either. Still, it was also familiar. Could it be…

"Kakashi!" Iruka blurted, surprised, and his friend appeared before him.

He hadn't really expected to see him, but there he was. _No wait, Kakashi's out on a mission. He couldn't be back already. No way – it can't be. You're not here. You're not- _Iruka tried to pull his mind away, but he got distracted from where he wanted to go back to. _I wish he were back already._ Kakashi had been gone for a while. What if – what if something happened? What if he didn't come back? The kind of missions Kakashi went on were so dangerous. _No, what am I thinking? It's Kakashi. No way he'd ever let someone beat him…_By the time Iruka had finally pulled his mind away, he had forgotten where he was.

"Kai," Sensei said, and Iruka snapped back to the training field.

"Sorry, Sensei," Iruka muttered, "I let myself get distracted."

"Don't worry about it," the blonde man replied, "It was only the first round. You saw something you didn't expect, right? Well most of genjutsu is about seeing what you don't think you will and actually making you _believe _that you are seeing it. If you get too caught up in it and ask yourself too many questions, then you forget where you're going."

Iruka nodded. Part of him had been expecting to see Kakashi, or at least hoping to, and that was what had led to the confusion.

"It was only the first level too," Iruka sighed.

"Just because it's low level genjutsu doesn't mean it can't be tough without practice. Let's try it again."

Iruka nodded and closed his eyes. This time he thought only of the field. Whatever popped up was promptly ignored, even though some things tended to draw Iruka's attention away if only for a second. _Ramen! No, training field, training field…_

"Kai," Iruka finally said after a few moments, but he wasn't free of the genjutsu.

"Try again," he could hear sensei say.

"Kai!" Iruka yelled, putting all his mental force into it.

Finally he was free! Though he could swear the scent of ramen was still in the air…

"I did it!" Iruka said happily, "You are real, right, Sensei?"

"I was the last time I checked," the blonde man smirked as Iruka gave him a poke just to make sure, "Well done."

The tan boy grinned and waited eagerly to move on to the next level.

By the end of the day he was exhausted. He walked with Sensei as far as the jounin's house, thanked him, and made his way back towards his own neighborhood. The sun was setting now, casting its orange rays on the statues of the three Hokage that overlooked the village. Iruka wondered absently what was for dinner; then his thoughts went back to Kakashi. Maybe the small chuunin would be home by tomorrow. _I'll go meet up with him then. We could practice together._

When Iruka arrived him, he was surprised that only his father greeted him.

"Where's Okasan?" he asked.

"She got called away suddenly," his father replied, with the usual quirk on his lips, "Seems some skirmishes have started on Konoha's borders. Hopefully they'll let her come home soon, though."

Iruka frowned, but nodded understandingly. This kind of thing happened all the time. His mother had many talents and was sometimes needed on special force teams. Her missions usually didn't last long though, so Iruka usually had little time to miss her. Still, she had recently started teaching Iruka how to use exploding tags on his kunai, and the young boy was impatient to master it. It was always so exciting to learn something new, and his mother was an excellent teacher. He pouted a bit.

"Cheer up," his father said, "At least you've still got me to make you dinner! Hey, don't make that face."

Iruka gave him a mischievous smirk.

"Just don't destroy the kitchen before she gets back," he said, "Or she'll have a new mission to make you fix it."

"I'll do my best to keep it in one piece," his father replied.

Despite how his wife and son might have teased him, Mr. Umino was not a bad cook. It was just that cooking with one arm tended to be a bit of a challenge. Kind of like a C-rank mission – not as hard as it could be, but not as easy as D-rank. Rice he could do. As for anything beyond rice, well, Iruka's father would just have to get creative. And juggle a little bit.

A few painstaking moments later, they had a meal. Iruka helped set the table while his father got the food ready. They sat down together at their small low table and began to eat.

"Itadakimasu!" Iruka said cheerfully before he dug in.

"Any good?" his dad inquired.

His son grinned.

"Not bad. Maybe soon you'll be as good as Okasan."

"Don't flatter me too much," his father replied, putting down his chopsticks to ruffle Iruka's hair like he always did, "Otherwise, I'll never believe you."

The tan boy laughed and tried to stop his father's hand from messing up his ponytail.

"It really is good though. She'd be impressed."

"Well, maybe I'll ask her to give me a few more lessons when she gets back," his father said with a smile, and then a little later, "So, what were you up to today? Playing with Kakashi-kun?"

Iruka shook his head.

"He's still off on his mission," he replied, "and it's not _playing_, Otosan! It's training! Training!"

"Oh, right. Pardon me," Mr. Umino replied, amused, "So you were training on your own then?"

"Not alone," Iruka replied after gulping down a mouthful of rice, "With Sensei."

"Private lessons from the Yellow Flash himself! You're lucky."

"He's teaching me how to break out of genjutsu," Iruka told him, "I'm having trouble with it at school."

"Genjutsu was never my strongest point either," his father sighed, "But you'll get the hang of it. I'm sure with a sensei like that, you'll master it in no time."

"But I believe what I see too easily," Iruka murmured, "And some things scare me so bad. It's like being trapped in a nightmare, and you can't wake up."

"You have to learn how to wake yourself up," the older man said knowingly, "It's hard sometimes, but part of you will always remember what is real."

Iruka shuddered to think of the images the genjutsu had made him see. The scariest part about seeing the destruction and loved ones in pain was that it was all a very real part of every ninja's life. Iruka had never thought about what shinobi had to go through and how much one person must have seen by the time he or she was an adult. His eyes fell on the place where his father's missing arm should have been, and he found he couldn't take his eyes off it.

At some point his father noticed him staring and put his hand up to the empty shoulder. Iruka jumped as he broke out of his trance and looked away from his father guiltily.

"Otousan?"

"Yes, Iruka-kun?"

"Do you ever wish you hadn't become a ninja?"

His father blinked in surprise, but then smiled, a little sadly.

"Sometimes I wonder how things would have been different," he admitted, "I could have a safer job. I could have an easier life. I could leave home knowing that I'll come back just fine. I could have two arms. But without anyone to protect this village, well, I couldn't really have any of that, now could I?"

Iruka wasn't sure what to say. All he could do was stare at his father with a stunned expression.

"I'm proud of what I do," his father continued, "Because of me, people in Konoha can feel safe. Families like ours can eat dinner together and sleep without worrying about any danger. Everyone depends on each other. That's why, no matter what, I'll protect this village, until I can't fight anymore."

Iruka's stunned look turned to one of admiration. He was proud of his father too. _Maybe someday he'll be proud of me_, Iruka thought. _Someday, when I'm a shinobi protecting this village with him. _

"It's not an easy way of life," his father said, "but it's the one I've chosen, and I know it's right for me."

"Me too," Iruka agreed.

Mr. Umino smiled at his son and ruffled the tan boy's hair playfully again. They finished the rest of their meal and went off to bed not long after. Iruka was excited to show his class what he'd learned the next day.

Thanks to Sensei's special training course, Iruka was able to break out of his genjutsu much more easily than the time before. His sensei congratulated him and praised him for his improvement. After school, he waited by the tree to see if Kakashi would come. _How long was this mission going to take? _Iruka wanted his friend back. He also wanted to show him what he had learned. Time passed, however, and the chuunin didn't show up. _Must still be traveling back today…_

Iruka was surprised to find an empty house when he came home.

"Otosaaan!" he called, but no one answered.

He walked into the kitchen and saw a note lying on the table for him in his father's handwriting.

"_Iruka – come to Konoha hospital. Don't panic."_

And that was it. Iruka's eyes widened as he stared at the note in disbelief. How could he not panic? The note didn't even say why to come! What could have possibly have happened? There was only one thing he could think of.

He rushed off to the hospital as fast as his legs could carry him. Finally, he arrived at the door, panting, barely able to make it to the reception desk. Once he had gotten his breath back, he approached the lady standing there.

"Is my father here?" he asked.

"What's your name?"

"Umino."

"Oh yes, he's with his wife on the third floor. I'll have someone take you to them."

Iruka followed a nurse up to where his parents were. When they entered the room, the first thing he saw was his father sitting next to the hospital bed. His mother lay on the bed, eyes closed and wrapped in bandages. His father, who had been watching her, looked up as his son came in.

"Oh, Iruka…"

The boy sped to the bedside.

"Okasan! Is she going to be okay?!" he asked desperately.

"She'll be fine," his father sighed, "She just overdid it a bit. Her chakra's low, but once she gets her strength back, she'll be ready to come home. She's sleeping now."

"Okasan…"

Iruka was upset with his mother for worrying him like this, but at least she was going to be okay. The young boy couldn't help being disturbed by the image of his mother wrapped in bandages and lying in a hospital bed. Even though she was a ninja and it was common to be injured on a mission, it was too much like a genjutsu for Iruka's comfort. What if something worse had happened? He thought about Kakashi and the trouble he could be facing right now. If his mother could come back in this condition, what could happen to an eleven-year old boy? Iruka knew that his mother and Kakashi were both chuunin, but still, Kakashi seemed like the more vulnerable one. Iruka had a hard time sleeping that night worrying over the ones he cared about.

The next day, after a minor cooking disaster that resulted in the near destruction of the ceiling (Iruka still wasn't sure exactly how it had happened), Iruka's father took him to Ichiraku for dinner. Though Mr. Umino's kitchen shenanigans had been amusing, Iruka still couldn't help feeling down after what had happened to his mother. He sipped his ramen slowly, while beside him, his father slurped as loud as possible.

"What's wrong, Iruka?" the man asked once he had gulped down half his bowl, "Don't you like your ramen?"

"It's good," Iruka said quietly, taking a larger sip to prove his point, "but I wish Okasan was here to eat it with us."

His father smiled at him sympathetically and turned so he could pat Iruka's shoulder with his single hand.

"Your mother will be fine," he assured his son, "Don't worry – she's tough enough to get through this easily."

"What if something worse happens to her next time?" Iruka asked worriedly.

The look in his eyes was almost desperate, pleading his father to give him a satisfactory answer that would take away all his concern. Mr. Umino sighed and stared down at his half-filled bowl.

"The hardest part about being a shinobi," he said, "is never knowing if you'll always come back. The time before every mission might be the last chance you get to see the ones you love."

Iruka shuddered slightly at his father's words. The thought of his parents leaving him was too much for him to handle. He couldn't imagine life without his mother and father there, waiting for him at home when he came back from school, eating dinner with him at the table, saying goodnight when each day was over…

"What would you do if Okasan didn't come back?" Iruka managed to ask in a low voice.

It was his father's turn to flinch, but Mr. Umino thought carefully about his son's question so that he could find the best way to answer it.

"That's something I can't ever prepare myself for," he replied, "but I have to try. The reality is, no one lives forever. Some of us find our time here cut short, but no matter how many years we get, our spirits all have the same lifespan. When we lose someone we love, we cry because their physical self is gone, but that doesn't mean they're dead. They live on within you. And you have to live for them too and value their life for what it was. If something were to happen to your mother, I would grieve until I could join her – but at the same time, I'd be proud that she gave her life for this village. You can't show anyone greater love than that."

Iruka gave a nod and went back to sipping his noodles. He couldn't think of a response to his father's words, but he did have to admit that they gave him a lot to think about. Could a person really feel pride and sadness at the same time?

After dinner, the two Uminos headed home. Iruka stared at the sun growing redder and at the large shadow the three carved faces of the Hokage were casting. The village was growing quieter as the last of the children scampered home before dark. Iruka turned in the direction of Kakashi's house and wondered if the chuunin was home yet.

"You can go on ahead, Otousan," Iruka said, "I'm going to wait for Kakashi."

His father gave a nod.

"Don't stay out too late. I'll be waiting for you at home."

Iruka nodded back and went to up to Kakashi's house to knock at the door. The Yellow Flash opened the door and explained to a disappointed Iruka that his friend still hadn't returned.

"He should be home by tonight, though," the blonde man told him encouragingly, "You're welcome to wait here for him if you like."

Iruka accepted the offer happily and drank some tea with Sensei as the two waited for the young chuunin's return. Time passed, however, and after an hour or so had gone by, Iruka realized that his father would be worried about him.

"Sorry, Sensei, but I have to go home," the tan boy sighed, "I'll come say hi to Kakashi tomorrow."

"Alright, Iruka. Sorry he didn't show up. I'm sure he's just a bit slow getting back. Probably tired after such a long mission."

Iruka nodded understandingly, trying to hide his concern as best he could. He knew Kakashi could take care of himself, but after that talk with his father, he was beginning to wonder how he really would handle it if his friend didn't return. The young boy had no choice but to shake off the feeling.

The next morning was a strange one. Iruka woke up to the sound of his father talking to another man in the living room. _Who could this be, so early?_

"Yes, I understand," his father was sighing, "It might be a bit hard on him, but if the village needs me- Oh, Iruka, you're up."

The tan boy walked into the room and stared at the other shinobi that his father was talking to. He didn't recognize the man, but the uniform told him he must have come to talk to his father about a something mission-related.

"Is everything okay?" Iruka asked worriedly.

"Just fine," his father replied, "I have to go away for a mission for a few days, though, so someone else is going to look after you for a while until your mother can come home."

"I can look after myself," the boy protested.

"Konoha law requires all underage shinobi to stay in the academy dorms if they are unsupervised," the stranger told him, "It won't be for long."

"Why can't Sensei watch me?"

"The Yellow Flash is off on his own mission today," his father replied, "but if you like, I could ask someone to ask him to look after you when he comes back."

Iruka looked a little more hopeful, but he still didn't like the idea of being forced to leave home and live with those…orphans.

"It's just for a while," his father said, giving him a half-hug, "Be strong, Iruka."

Iruka had found himself inside the academy dorms by that afternoon. It wasn't quite as bad has he had pictured it – a little rundown, but still all right. He was given his own room, which was a bit larger than his room back at home. The ten-year-old dumped his suitcase beneath the bed and took a look out the window. He had a great view of Konoha from up here, and in the end, Iruka decided that as long as it was only for a little while, living here wouldn't be so bad.

"I'll come in to check on you now and then," his chaperone said, "If you need me for anything, my room is just down the hall. Dinner's at sundown."

Iruka thanked him and went back to arranging his things. It felt strange being away from home like this even though Iruka was used to mission survival training and spending the night at Sensei's now and then. He wondered who had lived in this room before him.

As Iruka shuffled through his belongings, his thoughts drifted back to the academy. He was glad that breaking out of genjutsu wasn't as difficult as it had used to be. The other children had gotten the hang of it much quicker, but there were some that still weren't so good at it. Maybe Iruka would surpass them all with a little more practice. He'd ask Sensei for more help later, he decided.

The last thing Iruka unpacked was a picture of his family. His mother and father were standing behind him with Iruka in the middle. There were smiles spread across everyone's faces, and Iruka noticed that his smile was almost identical with his mother's. His father had a hand on his shoulder, the hand belonging to the arm that was now gone. Looking at himself, Iruka thought he looked so much younger back then, so tiny compared to now. Time really did pass by fast.

As the sun set, Iruka made his way down to the cafeteria. He could smell the food before he got there, and it made his mouth water. Other children stared at him as he walked in the large room. Iruka thought he heard some whispers, but decided he was imagining it. He walked over to the other side of the cafeteria and lined up by the trays. After he had been served, he scanned the tables looking for a place to sit. The cafeteria was packed, and there were only a few open spots. The young boy made his way over to the closest place, next to a boy with long silver hair that reminded him of Kakashi's, only not so fluffy.

"Is it okay if I sit here?" he asked.

The other boy looked up at the stranger with a slight frown, but it soon turned into a friendlier smile.

"Sure," he said and made some more room for him.

"Thanks," Iruka said happily and sat down.

"You're new here, aren't you?" the other boy asked between mouthfuls of food.

"Yeah," Iruka replied, "but I'm not staying for long. Just till my mom gets out of the hospital."

"That's lucky," the other boy said, as some of the warmth drifted out of his voice, "Most kids here won't ever see their parents again."

Iruka flinched slightly.

"I'm sorry…Did you-?"

"Lose mine? Heh, a long time ago. My aunt takes care of me now, but she's been out of the country for months, so they sent me here."

"When is she coming back?"

The other boy shrugged.

"I dunno. This place isn't so bad, I guess. I don't mind it here, but sometimes I just want to go home."

Iruka gave him a sympathetic look. Looking around, he really did realize how lucky he was to have a home to go back to and parents who were still alive to love him and teach him what he would never learn on his own. He thought about Kakashi, a genius. But even his friend was a lot like these children in a way. The chuunin didn't have his own mother and father to go back to, but at least he had his guardian. Iruka was glad that Sensei was there.

"Maybe she'll come back soon," Iruka said, offering some comfort.

The silver-haired boy looked up from his meal and stared at Iruka for a moment.

"Maybe," he muttered, then, "How did you get that scar on your nose?"

"This?" Iruka asked, touching it, "Some bully dragged a kunai over my face."

The other boy grimaced.

"At least it makes you look tougher. Most kids have to graduate from the academy before they can get scars like that."

"It's not like I got it on a mission or anything," Iruka told him.

"No one else has to know that," the other boy replied, grinning mischievously.

Iruka smiled at him.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Mizuki. Yours?"

"Iruka."

"I think I've seen you around the academy, now that I think about it. You're in the year below me, right?"

Iruka shrugged, honestly unaware.

"I've only got a few more years before I graduate," he told the other boy, "I can't wait to train as a gennin!"

Mizuki just kind of chuckled to himself.

"That'll be next year for me. It might not be as great as you think. But it's a step up from the academy."

Something about his cool and distant attitude reminded Iruka of Kakashi. This boy seemed so sure of himself, of his own power. Iruka wondered how good he really was.

The two boys finished up their meal and headed back upstairs. When Iruka stopped at his door, Mizuki began to head further down to his own room, but after a few steps, he stopped and turned back to the other boy.

"Do you want to sneak out tonight?"

"W-what?" Iruka asked, surprised.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Mizuki said, smiling encouragingly, "We can go explore Konoha under the cover of night – like real ninja!"

"But if the supervisor catches us, we'll be in trouble…"

"That's part of the fun," Mizuki grinned, "besides, ninja don't get caught."

"Well…"

Iruka had to admit, the idea made him nervous. The ten-year-old had never been out in the middle of the night with no adults around, but he didn't want his new friend to think he was a coward. Besides, it was only inside Konoha. As long as they stayed in the village, they should be safe.

"Great," Mizuki said, not giving him time for a real answer, "I'll tap on your door later, so make sure you're awake, okay?"

Iruka managed a nod, and with that, Mizuki was off. Iruka opened the door to his own room and went inside. There wasn't much to do until lights out, but Iruka entertained himself with a book he had brought until it was time for everyone else to go to sleep.

Midnight came. The supervisor had already come by to make sure everyone was in bed. Iruka lay awake listening for the sound of Mizuki tapping on the door, but it was a while before he heard anything at all in the darkness. Finally, a soft tapping came, and  
Iruka rose silently from his bed and snuck over to the door. He opened it slowly so it wouldn't creak, and in front of him, stood Mizuki.

"Come on, let's go," the other boy whispered, and to Iruka's surprise, he pushed his way into his room and went over to the window.

"What are you doing?" Iruka asked.

"This is easier than sneaking out of the front," Mizuki explained, swinging a foot outside, "Hurry up, and watch your step."

Iruka followed him cautiously. There were some shingles outside his window, which sloped down to cover the first floor. It was kind of steep, but he was able to grip the pipes that ran along the wall to help him keep his balance. His sandals weren't much good for standing on the slanted shingles. He hadn't learned to control his chakra well enough to use it to grip onto the building to help keep him from falling, but at least he had mastered the chakra-powered jump that might help him land safely if he should slip.

He inched across the roof, following Mizuki's feet rather than the back of his head. He kept a firm grip on the pipe, but his ankles were getting tired of keeping him from slipping down the steep angle.

"Quicker," Mizuki told him, inching further ahead.

Iruka tried to keep up the best he could, but he lost his footing and began to fall. He barely had enough time to yell out before he stopped suddenly and found himself hanging by the arm. Mizuki had grabbed a hold of him just in time. The other boy tightened his grip and helped Iruka get his balance back. The young boy could still feel his heart thumping from his near fall.

"Thanks," he managed to pant.

"Be more careful," Mizuki whispered, "And stay quiet too. We don't want anyone hearing us."

"This isn't a good idea," Iruka hissed back, "It's too dangerous. There's no point in climbing around this roof if we're just going to get in trouble for it."

The other boy gave him a strange look and said quietly, "Maybe you don't know because you haven't been here long, but it gets boring. This will be fun, trust me. Better than sticking around locked up in this place."

"What are we even doing?" Iruka demanded, "You want to go run around Konoha at midnight just for fun?"

"Don't you have any sense of adventure? What kind of ninja can't get away with creeping around a bit with no one noticing? Consider this training. I bet they don't do stuff like this at the academy."

Iruka just shook his head. He still didn't know what he was getting into, but there was a part of him that was really excited at the thought of wandering around like a shinobi on a mission. It was all just one big game, and he didn't want to be left out of it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to break the rules only for tonight…Mizuki had just saved him from falling after all, so Iruka felt like he was in his debt.

The two boys finally made it off the roof safely. Iruka landed on the other side of the dorm's fence swiftly and silently. He followed behind Mizuki as the other boy leapt forward several feet in front of him. It was hard for Iruka to describe how he felt right then. Part of him was terrified at the thought of getting caught, but the same fear also made him more excited about the risk they were taking. For one night, they were free to do as they wanted and explore the village, going wherever they felt like.

Iruka tried to land as quietly as possible as his feet touched the roofs of sleeping families. He and Mizuki sprang through the village, cutting through neighborhoods and passing the small shops and restaurants that lay in between. Iruka felt himself getting out of breath, but he wouldn't admit he was tired. Instead, he did his best to keep up with Mizuki's pace. The other boy was never far ahead of him. It didn't seem like he had a certain path set in mind, but Iruka didn't ask any more questions. He was too distracted by the thrill of the adventure to wonder much anyway.

"Look, it's the Hokage's tower," Mizuki said with a grin, pointing, "Let's go check it out."

"But there's got to be a dozen guards posted there!" Iruka protested, "What if someone sees us?"

"What, scared?" the other boy questioned, giving him a disappointed frown, "We won't get that close. I just want to check out the tower. Come on."

He turned around and was gone before Iruka had the chance to say anything else. The tan boy groaned to himself and followed again, this time keeping more of a distance. As they neared the tower, Iruka found himself fascinated by the size of it and the power it seemed to emit. He felt like the tower itself was watching him, and he grew a bit more intimidated.

"Mizuki!" he hissed, but the other boy didn't hear him.

Iruka hurried to catch up and found that Mizuki had stopped on the roof of a building not too far from the tower. Iruka landed nervously behind him. The other boy was staring at something, and as Iruka followed his gaze, he could see what had him so transfixed. There was a figure moving out of the shadows and along the wall of the Hokage's tower. The boys couldn't see the figure's face too clearly, but there was no doubt that it was not just a guard on patrol.

"Who-?" Iruka gasped.

Mizuki watched the figure silently.

"He's not from Konoha," he said after a moment, "I've never seen a shinobi that moves like that. Also, it's weird for anyone to be sneaking around the tower at this time of night. It must be a spy."

"We should tell someone!" Iruka told him.

"No," Mizuki replied, a mischievous grin slowly working its way across his face, "We're going after him ourselves. If we catch him, we'll be heroes. Everyone will have to take us seriously. Besides, there's two of us and only one of him. We can do it!"

"Are you _crazy?_" Iruka asked, unbelievingly, "He's a trained shinobi! Maybe even ANBU level. We don't stand a chance!"

Mizuki wasn't even looking at him, though. His eyes were filled with a fierce determination, and Iruka's heart sank at the thought that he wouldn't be able to stop the other boy no matter what he said. _I can't let him do something this stupid, _he thought, _Somehow, I have to get him to listen to me._

Mizuki had already sped forward. Iruka bolted after him, determined to catch up. The other boy had proven himself faster than Iruka so far during their adventure, but he had started to tire a bit, and Iruka's own determination to stop the silver-haired boy gave him both strength and speed. He reached forward and managed to grab the other boy's shirt. He yanked him back as hard as he could, still getting pulled forward a bit as Mizuki skidded to a halt on the ground below.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the other boy demanded, "Let me go!"

"You'll get yourself killed!" Iruka hissed back, "Just think about this for a second!"

"You're getting in the way," Mizuki growled, freeing himself from Iruka's grasp and pushing the tan boy away from him, "You do what you want – go ahead and run home, but don't stop _me_ from doing my duty as a shinobi!"

Iruka flinched. Mizuki gave him a glare and sped away again.

"You're just a kid!" Iruka yelled after him, "You can't..."

His voice trailed off as he watched the other boy run too far to hear. Iruka began to gave chase, but felt a bit sick to his stomach. What would happen if the spy attacked Mizuki? Should he go and get help? Or stay and fight beside him? He didn't have too much time to question the current situation though, because only moments later, he was faced with a new one. As he rounded the next corner, he saw Mizuki and the spy squaring off. The dark figure still had an escape route, but seeing that his opponent was just a child, he didn't seem intimidated enough to continue running. Instead, he turned to face Mizuki, kunai in hand.

"A little late for children to be running about, isn't it?" a gruff voice asked the boys.

"What are you doing in Konoha?" Mizuki demanded, "You have no business sneaking around here!"

"What does it matter to you?" the spy asked, "In a moment, you'll be dead, and then no one will ever know I was here anyway."

Before Mizuki had time to answer, his enemy rushed forward at him. The other boy dodged the kunai he threw – barely. The next one the man threw grazed his thigh, which made Mizuki wince for a second, but he recovered quickly and prepared to fight his much older opponent.

"Mizuki!" Iruka yelled, rushing forward to join his friend.

He couldn't go run for help and just leave Mizuki to face this opponent alone now.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" the other boy murmured as Iruka stepped in beside him, "This isn't a battle for little academy students."

"I can fight him too! Don't underestimate me," Iruka growled, annoyed that Mizuki was talking as if he had already graduated himself.

All Iruka wanted was to be taken seriously for once. Maybe he would finally get his chance. The intruder seemed to be having second thoughts about whether or not he wanted to waste his time fighting two Konoha brats or if it was better to simply flee the village before anyone else noticed he was here. His options decreased when the two boys charged at him. Iruka let out a loud yell as he ran, hoping it would alert anyone nearby of the battle that was taking place. The streets were quiet, though, and it seemed nobody was stirring despite the ruckus that was taking place just outside their windows.

Mizuki gave Iruka a sideways annoyed look, but turned his attention back on the target. He threw a round of shuriken, which the man avoided easily. Mizuki reached back and pulled out a scroll. Iruka's eyes widened. He had never seen anyone so young use a summoning scroll. There was a puff of smoke, and all eyes turned to see what would emerge from it. Mizuki gripped his hand around his new weapon, a giant shuriken bigger than his head.

"Bet this makes the regular shuriken look like toys," the silver hair boy chuckled quietly and with a great swing, sent the metal star flying.

The weapon sliced through the air at top speed, headed straight for the enemy. The other ninja saw it coming, but did not move completely out of the way fast enough. The giant shuriken cut his left arm, leaving a deep gash.

The boys' opponent screamed and clutched his new wound. His infuriated eyes flashed at Iruka and Mizuki, and it was almost like the boys could feel their burn on their skin. The man charged at them for a moment, and then appeared to vanish.

"Where did he go?" Iruka whispered, eyes darting around him.

"He'll come back in a moment," Mizuki answered, "Don't let your guard down."

Iruka froze, still searching for where his enemy had gone. He strained his ears for every little sound, but it was the light thump the young boy felt through his feet that alerted him of the spy's presence.

"Behind you!" he yelled at the other boy as a shadow loomed over them both.

Mizuki and Iruka jumped out of their attacker's path, escaping his katana by just a hair. Iruka could feel his heart pumping even more fiercely in his chest. It wasn't from the thrill of being out here anymore; now it had turned into fear as well as the determination to survive.

"Look out!" he heard Mizuki shout, but the scar-faced boy had already prepared to dodge the next attack.

_I can't keep this up, _Iruka thought. _Eventually, we'll be hit. We have to get out of here fast. _He knew Mizuki wasn't likely to give up now that he'd already started, though. They'd have to find someway to end this quickly – someway to end it alive.

"Arghh!"

One of the enemy's jutsu had sent Iruka's friend flying. He hit the ground with a sickening thump and struggled to rise.

"Mizuki!"

Iruka ran over to where he had landed and helped the other boy up. Mizuki grunted a warning, and the tan boy turned around to face the much larger shinobi not too far away. Iruka stood in front of the other boy protectively as their enemy charged, but the man simply knocked him out of the way and lunged for Mizuki, kunai in hand. From the ground, Iruka could see the other boy struggling to get away as the enemy ninja slashed him repeatedly. He closed his eyes, but couldn't block out Mizuki's screams. _I have to do something._

The ten-year-old shinobi rose bravely to his feet and with a trembling hand, took some shuriken from his pouch. His opponent had foolishly turned his back on him, not seeing him as much of a threat. Iruka would make him take him seriously. _I'm not a weakling. I can fight as well as anyone. I'll protect this village and everyone in it._

He threw the shuriken at an enemy who was too preoccupied with torturing his small victim to block in time. The sharp stars embedded themselves in his back and shoulder. He let out a cry in pain and gave Mizuki one final kick before whipping around to glare at his offender. Iruka was stiff with fear at this point, but tried his best to hide it. He glared back at the man with as much ferocity as he could muster and went into his fighting stance. He waited for his opponent to launch an attack, but the man only stood there, still glaring. Iruka suddenly felt a chill, as if his body had suddenly gone cold, but only for a few moments. The moon looked red in the sky now, with a few dark clouds flowing over part of it now and then. Iruka shivered a bit, but he ignored the feeling and instead focused on his fight.

His eyes darted around the battlefield, searching for his opponent, but the intruder had vanished again. Quickly, Iruka ran over to where Mizuki lay, motionless. The young boy froze, staring at his new friend with wide, frightened eyes. He bent down to nudge his shoulder. The other boy's body was very white and stiff. Iruka froze with the realization that Mizuki wasn't breathing. He felt his own breath growing short. There was blood leaking from Mizuki's wound and mouth too. _No, he can't be…_

Iruka was shaking as his angry, tear-filled eyes shot back up to where his enemy had suddenly appeared, not too far from him. The small ninja gritted his teeth and stood ready to fight. The other man was smiling at him, staring right into his face with heartless eyes.

"Do you want to kill me?" he taunted, "Do you really think you can?"

Iruka had a hand gripped tightly around a kunai now. He didn't know if he had the power to defeat his opponent, but he knew he had to try. It wasn't just the need to protect his own life that made him so determined, it was also the desire for revenge, something Iruka had never felt before. It was strong and consuming; the young boy didn't like it, but it was something that gave him the drive he needed to attack someone he usually would have rather run away from.

Without waiting another moment, Iruka charged at his opponent. The man seemed surprised by his boldness, but he was ready to avoid the attack. Iruka lunged, but simply shot through the man as if he were made of air. _He's fast, _the young shinobi thought. _If I can't hit him-_

Suddenly a sharp pain shot through his right arm. Startled, he clutched it and looked around wildly for what had inflicted the new wound. He couldn't see anyone around him, however. _Something about this battle isn't right. _Iruka felt his stomach twist with sickness. He could sense something unnatural about his surroundings, yet it felt somewhat familiar. The boy flinched as he suddenly realized why he recognized it. _Genjutsu._

Another invisible attack hit him before he could focus on breaking free from the illusion. It was hard to concentrate, but Iruka knew his time was limited. Quickly he closed his eyes and formed the hand seal.

"Kai," he whispered.

Everything around him began to melt away. For a moment, Iruka felt as if he had created a new illusion himself, but soon he could see the night had returned to normal. There was still one thing that remained from the genjutsu, though, and that was the oncoming attack Iruka had to defend himself against. The enemy, angry now that his illusion had been seen through so easily, delivered a powerful blow that sent Iruka hurtling into the wall of the closest building. Iruka was stunned with pain and collapsed on the ground. Not too far away, he could see Mizuki's body just as how it had looked in the illusion except for one thing – he was breathing. Barely breathing, but still alive. Iruka let out a small sigh of relief, but he felt himself growing weak.

He trembled slightly, glazed eyes staring unfixed in the direction of the figure standing not too far away. _Is this what it's like? To die in battle? _With a shaking hand, he attempted one last move. He took a kunai from his pouch and clumsily attached an exploding tag to it. It was a weapon he was still learning how to use, but Iruka knew he had to try it. _Hope this works, Okasan. _As his enemy rushed towards him for the finishing blow, Iruka charged the tag with his chakra and regained enough focus to throw the weapon straight at his enemy. The man, seeing the danger in deflecting the kunai, tried to dodge it instead, but he didn't get far enough. The tag exploded with a bang loud enough to shake the wall behind Iruka and the ground beneath him. As smoke and dirt covered the area, Iruka strained to see what had become of his enemy. He could hear shouts around him and was relieved that the explosion had been enough to finally rouse the villagers. Louder voices and thumping footsteps told him that help was on the way. As the dust settled, he could start to make out their shapes. One woman shouted at the others to follow the man who was trying to escape. Another figure was hunched down not too far from where Iruka sat slumped against the wall.

_Mizuki! _the young shinobi thought desperately. _Will he be okay? _Another shinobi was coming over to check on him. Iruka could barely keep his eyes open. It was far past the time he was used to going to sleep, and this battle hadn't exactly helped in his exhaustion.

"Are you okay, kid?" the voice asked, concerned, "You were amazing – defending yourself against a trained shinobi."

The boy managed a weak smile at the praise, but once a stretcher was rushed over and he was lying down and safe at last, he closed his eyes and finally gave in to the sleep that was fighting to overtake him.

There were dreams flowing through Iruka's mind, but none clear enough to remember. Recent events and mixed memories were enough to confuse him, and the first thing Iruka wondered when he opened his eyes was where he was.

"Well, look who's awake," a cheerful voice said.

Iruka blinked in the bright light that poured through the wide window into his eyes. He lifted one arm wearily to block it and squinted, allowing his sight to adjust. There was someone sitting on the chair beside his bed, and under the shade of his arm, Iruka could only see the bottom half of his face. He recognized whom the gentle smile belonged to.

"Sensei!" the young academy student said happily.

"Glad to see you're alright, Iruka-kun," the Yellow Flash told him as he bent slightly to peek under Iruka's arm with bright blue eyes, "You had everyone pretty worried."

As if on cue, the door burst open and a very weary yet determined mother barged in. Her hair was a mess and she still wore her hospital attire from the room she had just escaped from. As she saw her son lying on the hospital bed, she made her way over to the side opposite of the Yellow Flash on slightly unsteady legs. Behind her trailed a highly concerned nurse.

"Umino-san! You're still too weak to leave your bed! Please come back with me…"

But Iruka's mother wasn't listening to her. Instead she threw her arms around her son and held him close to her, though she was careful of his wounds.

"Iruka-kun! I'm so glad you're okay. Though what you did last night was incredibly stupid," she added, giving him a frown as she released him, "What were you thinking, running around Konoha in the middle of the night?"

"I'm sorry, Okasan," Iruka murmured embarrassedly, "I never meant to get into so much trouble."

Thinking about the trouble he had gotten into reminded him of something else.

"Mizuki!" he burst out, "What happened to him?! Is he-"

"Dead?" the nurse behind his mother mumbled, "Almost. If he had been brought in any later, it may have been too late. He's lucky you got the adults' attention when you did."

"That's right," the Yellow Flash agreed, "I heard it was Iruka who used the exploding note to wake up the people nearby and also to fight off the enemy."

The ten-year-old's mother stared at the blonde man wide-eyed and then back at her son again. Obviously, she hadn't heard the whole story.

"You _fought _an enemy shinobi all by yourself? It's a miracle you're still alive!"

In her mixture of pride and anger at her son, she attempted to fix up his hair, though her own was in far worse shape.

"My brave son," she said more softly a moment later.

Iruka blushed a bit at being fussed over in front of Sensei and the nurse, but beside him, the Yellow Flash was still grinning.

"You did well, Iruka-kun," he said, "And there's someone else who's coming to visit you. He should be here soon."

Sure enough, not long after, there was a knock at the door, and a small shinobi pushed his way in. He was holding a basket full of fruit and seemed caught off guard by the number of people in the room.

"H-hi," the chuunin stammered briefly before regaining the composure that was so typically Kakashi.

"Kakashi," Iruka greeted the chuunin, sitting up slowly.

"I brought these for you," the other boy told him, holding up the basket, and though he didn't really show it, Iruka could tell he was a bit embarrassed, "They're not much, but Sensei told me you were hurt, so I thought you might like these," in a lower voice he added, "They're better than hospital food."

" Thanks," Iruka replied with a smile.

He was glad to see his friend safely back home from his mission. He could read Kakashi's own relieved expression even through his mask. Maybe they would get that training session in once Iruka had recovered.

"I broke out of the genjutsu," Iruka told the Yellow Flash proudly, "I realized what was happening and released myself from it the way you taught me."

_That lesson – it saved my life. _Sensei beamed, and even Iruka's mother smiled and threw the blonde man a grateful look. Kakashi looked almost stunned for a moment, but his eyes gleamed.

"Genjustu can be difficult to fight against," the chuunin said, "You're learning fast."

"Next time, I'll beat them," Iruka said decidedly, "I won't just let them run away."

"The spy you fought was caught," Sensei said, "Turned out he had stolen some information from the Hokage's headquarters. I wouldn't be surprised if Sandaime himself wants to give you his thanks."

Iruka turned a bit red with embarrassment, but a grin inched its way back onto his face. For once he felt like an adult shinobi, someone who dedicated their life to protecting the village like his mother and father did. He wasn't used to such acknowledgement, but it felt good, especially coming from the people closest to him. _Maybe someday more people will look up to me, _he thought. He liked the feeling of being admired; Iruka wanted to be someone people could respect, someone with a title attached to their name. He wanted to save lives. The realization clicked in Iruka's head and he smiled as he thought to himself about what he would say to his father when he returned home from his mission.

"I want to be a sensei."

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know. Long overdue, right? XD Thanks for sticking around; of course you know I'd never give up on this story! I was working on this chapter on and off all during my semester studying abroad in Japan, but it kept getting shoved on the back burner. XP It was a challenge to write an Iruka-centric chapter, but I really wanted to do it since Kakashi always tends to steal the spotlight in my stories (and this is supposed to be an Iruka story too!). Really wanted to get more of his mom in, but I guess Mr. Umino is a spotlight stealer as well. XD; At least she showed up again in the end! Mizuki's character was interesting to write because while I wanted to give him a sort of bad-boy image, I also wanted him to be someone Iruka thought he could trust. Crazy, huh? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and please let me know what you think! Reviews equal motivation, you know. Laters**

**-K.I.**


	6. Teammates

** Six: Teammates**

Kakashi rose to his daily routine, for once just taking note of how normal everything was. He pulled on his clothes, the same kind he wore every day. Sensei had hung them up to dry late the day before, so they were still a bit damp. Typical. Kakashi grabbed his headband from where it lay on top of his dresser and put it on before going to join his guardian in the kitchen for breakfast.

"'Morning," he murmured, making his way around the table to grab some milk from the fridge.

"Good morning to you too," the Yellow Flash said, his eyes glinting with amusement.

He could tell his charge was not thrilled about the day ahead of them, though the truth was, Kakashi just didn't know whether or not he should care at all. Iruka had been going on about the buzz around the academy lately. The graduating students were getting assigned to their jounin mentors today and the new genin were bursting with anticipation about who they would be grouped with. Iruka had been sulking about still having another year to go, but Kakashi remembered him being excited for his friend Mizuki, who was graduating this year.

Kakashi looked up from his breakfast to see his sensei settling down across from him with a warm cup of tea in his hands. The chuunin was mildly annoyed by the smirk on his mentor's face, the one that usually meant the blonde man was going to tease him.

"I bet you're excited to meet your new teammates," the Yellow Flash said.

Kakashi only shrugged. What did he care about two genin tagging along with them? He and his guardian had been together so long that two kids joining their team just seemed like an odd intrusion. There had been other teammates before, when he and Sensei had gone on missions with other shinobi, but no one permanent. If anything, these new kids would most likely be ignorant and annoying.

"Why did you change your mind and decide to become a jounin sensei this year?" the silver-haired boy asked.

The older man looked at him thoughtfully.

"I thought we could use a change," he admitted. "It'll be fun to teach more students, and I noticed you haven't really bonded with anyone in the village besides Iruka. I thought it'd be good for you to be around more kids your own age."

It was true; Kakashi spent far more time on missions with jounin and chunnin much older than him than with anyone back at home. He still didn't see how hanging around with shinobi with so much less experience could be good for him, though. He could just end up with another stalker like that Gai kid that was _still _following him around and issuing challenges.

"Of course, I also got a lot of encouragement from the Third," the blonde man added. "He wants more shinobi to be trained under me…You know things aren't looking good for Konoha right now."

Kakashi nodded gravely. Missions had sprung up everywhere lately. There were far more skirmishes breaking out just beyond Konoha's borders, and the senior shinobi had been talking worriedly about the possibility of war for a while now. The Hidden Villages of the Earth and Water countries in particular had been raising some trouble over the issue of boundaries and the balance of power. The great nations were all on edge, measuring each other up and competing to see who would hold the strongest shinobi among them. It was very unsettling.

"We need to train the best," Kakashi agreed.

"Well," the Yellow Flash said with a confident smile. "I think they picked the right jounin to do that."

Iruka was just getting out of class when he saw Kakashi and Sensei walking through the academy gates. He ran over to them excitedly.

"Are you here to find out who your new genin are?" he asked.

"That's right," the Yellow Flash smiled. "Two lucky graduates are going to have Kakashi as a teammate."

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask but didn't show any other signs of disapproval. He was curious who his new teammates would be, but couldn't exactly say he was looking forward to meeting them. The blonde man ruffled his hair a bit and looked back towards the academy building.

"We'd better get going," he excused himself. "The students should be finishing up their final exams by now."

Iruka nodded. The Yellow Flash gave him a smirk and headed toward the building. Kakashi watched him go for a moment and sighed quietly.

"You don't look too excited," Iruka said. "Something wrong?"

"Of course not," Kakashi told him, straightening himself. "Whoever it is just better be able to keep up."

Iruka grinned.

"You're just jealous because you don't get to have Sensei to yourself anymore. He's going to be paying a lot more attention to the other two."

"I'm not a genin," Kakashi replied indignantly. "I don't need him to pay any attention to me. I'm fine on my own."

"Well, as long as you get along with them," Iruka said, "that's what's important."

* * *

The Yellow Flash gave Kakashi a slight frown for his unusual tardiness as he entered the classroom that all the future jounin sensei were gathered in. The meeting was just about to start. The chuunin, looking a bit embarrassed, made his way across the room and sat down next to his mentor. The meeting was short but felt longer to Kakashi due to boredom. The academy teacher standing in the front just went over the jounins' new duties and what they should expect from the teaching experience. Kakashi heard something mentioned about a "bell test," but the teacher didn't bother to explain what it was, so he assumed all the jounin already knew about it. Soon, the meeting ended, and the new sensei were left to wait while the academy teachers went over the profiles of successful graduates and decided their placements.

Kakashi amused himself by counting the spots on the ceiling until finally, the Yellow Flash was called. The chuunin followed his guardian up to the front, where the blonde man picked up the information on his new students and was told which classroom to meet them in. Together, they made their way down the hall, and it was only after they had passed a few doors down that the silver-haired boy heard voices coming from inside.

"…still think it's weird that there's only two of us. Everyone else has a four-person cell. How come they didn't assign one more-"

Sensei slid the door aside and entered the classroom where his new students waited.

"Knock, knock," he said, with a grin.

Kakashi slipped in behind him, but the other two were too busy gawking at Sensei to pay much attention to him.

"Y-you're-!" a boy with spiky black hair and bright orange goggles burst out.

"The Yellow Flash!" a girl with purple stripes on her cheeks finished for him, the excitement unconcealed in her voice. "Are you really our sensei?"

"That's right," the blonde man said. "Congratulations on becoming my first genin team."

The two graduates were ecstatic. They looked at each other and exchanged a grin before staring back at the Yellow Flash in awe. Kakashi studied them up in down, using his ninja skills to assess what he could from just looking. The boy and girl were of course, around twelve years of age; Kakashi already knew that. He found it strange that the boy dressed in such bright colors. The blue was subtle enough, but the orange trim, collar, and goggles didn't seem any good for trying to blend into the environment. _He must like attention._ The boy's dark hair and facial structure reminded him of the Uchiha clan, but he couldn't be sure. The purple-striped girl didn't appear to be from any clan he recognized, though the stripes made him think of the Inuzukas. There was no dog scent, though, so it was impossible that she had come from there. She was the first one to notice Kakashi. The girl stopped at stared at him for a while, and suddenly, her face lit up in realization.

"Oh! I know who you are!" she exclaimed with a slight tinge of pink on her face. "You're Hatake Kakashi, the one who became a chuunin at the age of six!"

Kakashi felt his face growing a bit hot under the mask too. The spiky-haired boy was giving him a strange look, as if he was unsure of what to make of him. Sensei cleared his throat.

"Why don't we finish up our introductions outside? I know the perfect spot."

He led his new team out into the village and up onto a rooftop with a good view of Konoha. The three students settled onto a raised cement platform while their sensei leaned against the railing lining the edges of the roof. He smiled at the children looking back at him expectantly.

"Well, then, I'll start us off," the blonde man said. "This is the chance for all of us to get to know one each other and begin our journey together as a team. As you know, I am the Yellow Flash, one of the strongest jounin in the village and also, Konoha's most eligible bachelor!"

Obito gawked at him, at a loss for words or even a real reaction. Rin hid a blush, trying to smile despite the awkwardness of being the only kunoichi to witness her new mentor's proclamation. Kakashi just let his forehead fall into his palm. _WHY, sensei?_ The Yellow Flash seemed amused enough by the effect his words had on his students. Kakashi only hoped he would get more serious so this could be all be over quickly and as painlessly as possible.

"But of course, you can all just call me Minato-sensei," the blonde man continued. "I'm pretty easy-going, but that doesn't mean I won't be hard on you when we're training. The Third expects me to make exceptional shinobi out of you, so try not to let the pressure get to you," he added with a smile. "You are my first official genin team, but only two of you are new to me. Kakashi here," his sensei indicated, "has lived with me for many years now. I'm his guardian."

Kakashi felt his face getting hot again. He wasn't a fan of drawing attention, especially when his sensei was to blame. Still, he tried not to look too embarrassed as the other two stared at him.

"I expect all three of you to work hard and do your best," Minato continued. "And as your sensei, I promise to be there for you and teach you everything you need to know to become strong and successful. There is something very important I want you to remember, though. If every other lesson I teach you somehow gets wiped from your memory and there's only one thing you can recall, let it be this: the most important part of being a shinobi is _teamwork._"

_Here he goes again,_ Kakashi mumbled in his mind. It was the lesson Sensei had drilled into him as long as he could remember. He knew the blonde man wouldn't be quick to let his new teammates forget it.

"Now then, that's enough about me," Sensei said. "Let's learn more about you. Say your name, likes, dislikes, and dreams for the future."

_How stupid…_

"Don't make that face, Kakashi," the blonde man chided before turning his attention to the purple-striped girl. "Ladies first."

The girl's face was still a bit red, but she raised her head up and tried to look confident. Her eyes flicked over all three shinobi in front of her, but Kakashi noticed that they stayed locked with his the longest.

"My name is Rin. I like a lot of things like reading and going for walks around the tea gardens. I'm also interested in herbs and grow all kinds of plants at home. There's not much that I don't like…except maybe people who are lazy and obnoxious. Let's see – I'm very interested in medical jutsu. My dream is to become a medical shinobi someday and help cure people on the battlefield. I want to learn how to heal wounds and illnesses and have the power to save lives."

"A very noble ambition," the Yellow Flash said with approval. "How about you?"

The spiky-haired boy took no time to respond. He was immediately on his feet and looking excitedly around him.

"My name is Uchiha Obito! I like training with my cousins and playing sports. I hate rainy days and…really high places," he admitted before making a strong recovery. "My goal is to awaken my sharingan and become the strongest ninja in the village!"

Kakashi suppressed a groan. It was so obvious who the Uchiha was showing off for. Rin gave Obito an encouraging smile, and Minato beamed.

"You dream big; I like that," he told the boy. "I'm sure you have the motivation it takes to reach your goals.

Obito grinned and had an almost arrogant look that made Kakashi feel disgruntled. _He thinks he's so great just because he's an Uchiha. He's nothing more than a kid. _Nevermind that Kakashi couldn't be much older.

"And last by not least," the Yellow Flash said. "Go ahead, Kakashi."

"Well, since everyone knows my name there's no need for that," the chuunin began. "I like to train. I hate people that don't follow the rules. That's all."

The other three stared at him, expecting more, but the silver-haired boy showed no signs of giving it.

"What about your dream?" Rin finally asked, a bit shyly.

Kakashi only stared at her. He knew he should have been prepared for this, but he still didn't really know what to say. He looked up at his sensei who only gave him a nod and nothing more. The chuunin sighed.

"My dream is…to be a ninja Konoha can be proud of," he answered honestly. "Someone dependable, who protects the village and follows the shinobi code without question. I don't have to be the strongest, but if that's what it takes, I won't stop training until I get there."

Rin's eyes flashed with admiration while Obito tried his best to hide his jealousy. The Yellow Flash smiled at his charge and looked over at the other two. He rose to his feet.

"Well, that concludes our introductions. From now on, you three will be working together. There is something I failed to mention, though."

All three students looked at him in surprise, even Kakashi.

"You still have one more test to pass before you're an official cell. It'll take place tomorrow at noon on the training grounds. It'll be rough, so you're not to eat anything in the morning unless you plan on regurgitating it. And don't be late! You're all dismissed."

Rin and Obito said their goodbyes and headed back home. Kakashi stayed sitting and glared at his mentor suspiciously.

"Why didn't you say anything about this 'test' before?"

Minato gave him an innocent look, but seeing it had no effect on his charge, changed it to a mischievous smirk.

"I know how you love surprises," he teased. "Besides, I don't want to put you at an advantage just because I'm your guardian. That's not fair to your teammates."

"Well, it's not like this test matters for me, anyway," Kakashi muttered, half to himself. "Nothing will happen if I fail."

His sensei only looked amused.

"A chuunin failing a genin test? I think the blow to your pride would be punishment enough. And I know you have pride, Kakashi."

The silver-haired boy frowned, angry that his sensei was right and knew him a little too well. The blonde man should have known that Kakashi wouldn't slack on anything, even a simple test like this. If it really would be as simple as the chuunin assumed…

* * *

Kakashi and his guardian arrived at the training grounds just before noon and were a bit surprised to see that Rin had already made it there before them. Sensei praised her punctuality, and the three waited until the scheduled time had arrived before wondering what had become of Obito.

"He's still not here yet?" Kakashi murmured after fifteen minutes had gone by.

"He probably just got caught up in something," Rin said. "Being late is pretty typical of Obito. He'd always try to sneak into class when our sensei wasn't looking. Whenever he got caught, he would just give some lame-"

"I'm sorry I'm late!" a voice called out from behind them.

Kakashi turned to see the orange-and-blue-clad boy running towards him from across the training field. Obito stopped to catch his breath, panting.

"I was all set to go until my neighbor came over and asked to borrow a sharpening stone for her kunai and it took me a while to find it. You see, hers broke, and she had a mission today…What?"

None of his teammates were buying it. Obito turned a bit red below the goggles, but didn't call out his bluff. The Yellow Flash shook his head and addressed all three of his students.

"Well, now that we're all here, why don't we get started? I'm sure your stomachs are probably grumbling by now."

The blonde man reached into the bag he had brought with him and pulled out two bento boxes, complete with chopsticks. The smell of rice and beef seeped through the cracks of the container and drifted into the noses of the two hungry genin and one chuunin. Obito swallowed to lessen the salivating inside his mouth.

"You brought us lunch?" he asked gratefully before frowning slightly. "But there's only two of them. How are we going to share?"

"You're not," the blonde man said and reached into his pocket, pulling out a pair of small bells dangling from one string each. "Only two of you will win your lunch, I'm afraid. They'll go to the two who manage to get these bells away from me. This will be a test to see if you've got what it takes to be shinobi. If you can't pass, you'll have to go back to the academy and try again next year." He paused for a moment and locked eyes with Kakashi. The chuunin felt a chill go down his spine and knew something bad was coming. "Kakashi," his mentor said. "I know you've already been promoted to chuunin level and have passed this genin stage already. However, to be fair, if you're unable to pass this test with your teammates, you'll be sent back to the academy as well."

The silver-haired-boy stared at his sensei, wide-eyed. The man couldn't be serious! How could he expect Kakashi to rely on these two _amateurs_ to pull their own weight and pass this test with him? It just wasn't fair! Kakashi did his best to regain control of his emotions, but his sensei knew a death glare when he saw one.

"You all have nothing to worry about," the Yellow Flash said reassuringly before a long pause. "Just remember what I've taught you so far."

With that, he was off, disappearing somewhere into the forest. Kakashi sighed, and Obito moaned loudly.

"'What he's taught us?' He's barely been our sensei for a day!" the Uchiha complained. "How are we supposed to pass this test when we haven't even had any real training yet?"

"We've had plenty of training," Rin reminded him. "What do you think all those years back at the academy were for? Just for fun? Let's make use of what we know instead of worrying about what we don't."

_At least one other person on this team has some sense_, Kakashi thought to himself. He tried to ignore his own grumbling stomach. _The most important part of this test is to complete it successfully. But only two of us are going to be able to get bells…Sensei never said the one who didn't get a bell would fail, as long as the others succeed._

"We have to work together," he told the other two. "That's what Sensei meant when he said to remember what he'd taught us. Trust me, it's been drilled into my head plenty of times."

"So, o wise leader," Obito mocked. "Who gets to eat lunch today? I'm starving!"

"She does," Kakashi told him, indicating Rin. "And maybe you too, if you do your part. I didn't realize the Uchiha clan was so whiny."

Obito's eyes glowed as red as if his sharingan had already been awakened.

"The Uchiha are not whiny!" he informed the other boy, almost slipping up with his tone and disproving the point. "We're a talented and noble clan! That's why you'd better watch out, 'cause I'm getting that second bell before you!"

"You're loud too," Kakashi said plainly, unaffected. "You'll have to keep quiet if we want to have any chance of sneaking up on Sensei. He's way more powerful than an ordinary jounin. If we don't come up with a plan, we don't stand a chance."

"Fine," Obito grumbled. "If you're so smart, come up with one then."

"I intend to," Kakashi replied.

Minato leaned against the trunk of a tree hidden deep within the grove on the other side of the training field where he had left his students. He was up on one of the highest branches, looking through the shrouded canopy at the grass beyond. He knew his students were already on their way to find him; he had seen them huddled together at the same spot where the test had started, but now the field was clear of any indication of chakara, and the blonde man's senses were on high alert. _I wonder how long it'll take them to find me,_ he wondered. Knowing Kakashi, it wouldn't be long at all. The two of them practiced tracking and detection skills constantly. The Yellow Flash knew Kakashi had an excellent sense of smell and little trouble sensing enemies on the missions they had gone on together.

He gripped a kunai as his eyes darted around the bases of the trees around him and scanned up the trunks. Rin and Obito may not have had enough chakra control to maneuver in the trees easily, but that didn't rule out the possibility that they would try to come at him from higher ground. Minato knew well never to underestimate his opponents, even if they were 12-year-old shinobi. It was always better to be well prepared for anything, especially since being outsmarted by one chuunin and two genin would put any Konoha legend to shame. Not that the Yellow Flash had much reason to be worried.

The first hint he got of the attack was some light thumps coming from the direction of the inner part of the forest. It sounded like ninja sandals landing on wood, a sound the blonde man was far too used to hearing, though it was difficult for most to pick out of the range of sounds the forest made. There was a shuffle coming from the base of the trees to his right. Good, that was the second one. Minato knew no one would come from the open field beyond the border behind him, so there could only be one more possible direction. If they wanted to surround him, the last one would have to come from the right. He waited…but there was nothing.

Another sudden shuffle from the front put Minato on high alert. It was the third one that he had been waiting for, but why were two of them coming from the same direction? _Careless planning_, the Yellow Flash thought, with a small sigh. There were still tiny crunches coming from the bottom of the trees to his left, but they stopped after a moment, and he didn't hear them again. He waited for the two children to attack him from the front, but felt his skin prickle in surprise when it was not two different shinobi that jumped out from the branches and leaves, but one chuunin and his clone.

Kakashi held a kunai readily as he attempted to dive in for the bells dangling from Minato's belt. The blonde man smirked in amusement as his pupil attacked him head on, blocking his sensei's kunai with one hand and reaching out with the other. Minato was careful to stay out of reach, however. He could tell that the other silver-haired boy before him was the copy from the difference in chakra flows. He also knew that Kakashi was more likely to go for the bells himself than send the clone after it to avoid losing his prize. With one well-aimed kunai, he managed to hit the fake Kakashi in the abdomen while still keeping the real one at bay. He wasn't going to go easy on the chuunin, especially when his two other teammates were nowhere in sight. _They're close. At least one of them is hiding over there, _the blonde man thought, sparing one second from his fight with Kakashi to glance to his left. The last one was probably not far either, but he wondered why he hadn't sensed him or her yet. What had the young apprentices planned out for him?

Kakashi gritted his teeth behind his mask. Off to his right side, he could hear Obito moving so easily. _I told him to stay still and wait until I gave the signal, _he thought, annoyed. _Sensei must know he's there for sure. I hope Rin can pull her part off. _The chuunin continued to battle his Sensei until the two had traveled from their spot within the grove to the trees outlining the training field. Kakashi wasn't sure if the Yellow Flash was aware that he had been led out here for a specific purpose, but if he was, the blonde man didn't show it. Kakashi was getting tired of fighting with kunai. He gave his sensei's weapon one good smack and backed away for a moment to draw his chakra blade. It was time to get serious.

Minato watched as Kakashi flashed his weapon. He had known the chakra blade would come eventually and that he'd have to be prepared for it. Sakumo's memento was nothing to take lightly. He could sense the chakra flowing out of Kakashi and into the white blade, making it sharp enough to cut through just about anything. The chuunin swung at him boldly, but the Yellow Flash sensed that he was holding back. The blonde man dodged each swing easily and threw a handful of shuriken at his apprentice, who blocked each one as it flew towards him.

"If you don't come at me with the intention to kill," his mentor told him, "you don't stand a chance."

Kakashi's eyes burned with determination. He would have one of those bells if he had to use every weapon at his disposal. There wasn't a trick his sensei didn't know about, though, and Kakashi realized that his inability to take his mentor by surprise put him at a great disadvantage. _I really need to invent a technique on my own. Something secret…and strong. For now, I'll just have to use a move Sensei doesn't expect. _

The chuunin bit down on his thumb and pulled out a summoning scroll. He felt the Yellow Flash's look of disbelief upon him as he quickly summoned forth the Ninken. The dogs landed on the tree branch in front of Kakashi and leapt at the blonde man immediately. Kakashi was glad that he had remembered to brief them beforehand so there was no confusion as to why they were attacking a man who was not only a friend, but one of the pack.

"Interesting weapon of choice," the Yellow Flash grinned as he leapt out of the dog's reach. "But they'll have to catch me first."

The blonde man leapt down from the tree and back out towards the field. The dogs followed him, with Kakashi trailing behind. In a moment, he could hear the ground shifting beside him. Obito emerged, a guilty and confused look spread across his face.

"The opening never came," he grumbled, "and I didn't see you give me my cue."

"That's because Sensei already knew you were there. You have to be less obvious," the chuunin sighed, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Their team had to work together right now, not point fingers. "It's okay. I've got him on the run. The rest of the plan should go smoothly…"

"What do I do now?" the Uchiha asked.

"Stay close," the silver-haired boy told him. "Once we get to the clearing, go back and hide in a similar position. I'll lure him towards you so you can use a fire jutsu."

"Okay," Obito agreed.

The two boys neared the edge of the grove where Minato was still evading the Ninken. Obito split away from the chuunin and ran off to the side to hide in the brush near the thick-trunked trees. Kakashi ran forward towards his sensei, chakra blade ready. Minato saw him coming and leapt away from the closest nindog to counter him with an oddly shaped kunai. Metal hit metal, and Kakashi was surprised by how strongly he was knocked back. He could feel the force of his sensei's weapon against his own as if there was no chance his father's blade would be able to sever it. The metal's resistance was too strong.

The Yellow Flash was on the offensive now, which Kakashi knew meant trouble. If his sensei succeeded in disabling him, he wouldn't be able to command his waiting teammates. Maybe the blonde man had even sensed the trap he was being lured into and knew that defeating Kakashi was the best way to foil the rest of the team's plan. The silver-haired boy was not about to give in so quickly, though.

Minato attacked again fiercely. The blonde man was still holding back, but he was also making a point of challenging Kakashi to use his full strength. He could tell the chuunin was struggling to keep up with blocking his blows while maneuvering through the trees at the same time. The blonde man would have thought it'd be easier for his student if the two of them had stayed in one place a bit longer. Why did the chuunin seem so intent on jumping around? The silver-haired boy hardly countered a single blow at a time before he leapt away and changed the location of their battle to another branch. During training, Minato recalled that his student often moved around the battlefield when he had to, but only if his opponent insisted on coming at him from different angles. Maybe he was just trying to match the older man's speed.

The Yellow Flash hadn't forgotten about the Ninken, of course. The dogs were fast too, but it seemed like Kakashi's constant jumping around was making it more difficult for them to follow. _He should slow it down if he wants their help, _the blonde man thought as he pushed his kunai against the chakra blade once again. Kakashi's eyes shifted towards the ground below and with a chakra-enhanced leap and one great heave, he shoved his sensei backwards off the branch. Recovering quickly, Minato prepared to land on the ground feet-first, but as he neared the leaf-covered floor, he noticed that the ground didn't sit quite right, and there were odd pieces of wood pushing up the leaves in some places. Of course- the trap.

Minato's eyes darted around the ground below him for a safe place to land, but before he could find one, the largest of Kakashi's nindogs, Bull, leapt at him from the side. Thinking quickly, the Yellow Flash evaded the dog's forepaws and swung his foot past the open jaws and onto the enormous dog's head. Bracing his other foot against the Bull's back, he sprung off him and back towards the trees. He wasn't prepared for the flurry of the next attack, though, as three more nindogs rained down upon him. The blonde man's eyes widened, and after barely managing to dodge the first one, the next two dogs hit him square on the shoulders, sending him hurtling back down to the ground. The Yellow Flashi winced. _He's trained them well…_

Kakashi watched from the branch above, satisfied with his dogs' work. Pakkun sat beside him, amusement evident in his eyes despite the frown he still wore on his face. Both expressions changed quickly however, when a bush near the hidden trap rustled. Kakashi gritted his teeth and almost joined Pakkun in a growl. _I told him to wait! _

Minato managed to flip himself feet-down before he hit the forest floor, but he made no move to avoid the trap he had fallen into. As soon as he touched the first fallen leaf, a net engulfed him and pulled him off the ground. He hung in the net only a spilt second before a flash of blue and orange shot from the bush, lunging at the captured sensei. Obito reached for the bells dangling through one of the gaps of the net, but Minato was too fast for him. He turned quickly in the tight confines of the net and swung out of the way. Taking advantage of the momentum, he continued to swing in the net, making it all the more difficult for the genin to reach him.

"Stay still!" Obito grunted, mostly to himself.

The Yellow Flash only smiled in amusement. Doing his best not to feel nauseated by the swinging, Minato focused on forming a hand seal and before Obito knew what was happening, he found himself surrounded by five other Yellow Flashes, all wearing the same mischievous grin. One of them grabbed the dumbfounded genin and ran along the edge of the forest. He carried Obito to another suspicious-looking stretch of leaves and sped across it so that the next trap was set off and swallowed up the pair, leaving the Uchiha alone in the net as the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. The other clones spread out as well, racing along the surrounding area until all the traps had been activated. There was a yell further out in the forest, and Kakashi's heart sank when he recognized it as Rin's. Now he was the only one left.

"You're in for it now," Pakkun muttered helpfully at Kakashi's feet.

The chuunin could feel the sweat run down the back of his neck as the real Sensei, still in the net stared up at him, smirking. He pulled another strange-looking kunai from his pouch and sliced through the netting enough to aim a good throw at his pupil. Kakashi barely had time to move to the side as the kunai grazed the longer hairs sticking out from the side of his head. The metal weapon landed behind him with a thunk as it embedded itself in the trunk of the tree. He had only blinked to stare at it for a moment before he looked down at the net again to find it empty. Panic surged through him as a small yip from Pakkun alerted him to the fact he already knew- Sensei was standing right in front of the kunai he had just thrown.

Spinning around with the chakra blade, he was stopped as the Yellow Flash seized his wrist. Pakkun leapt at the blonde man's ankle, but Minato jumped out of the way, taking Kakashi with him. As they fell, the chuunin struggled to break out of his hold, but it was futile. One quick blow was all it took to knock the boy unconscious.

* * *

_"Of course it's important to complete a mission, but to do that, your team must be strong as one. Your comrades are your friends. You should think of them as part of yourself and always watch each other's backs. If you lose trust in each other and separate, there's a greater chance you'll be picked off one by one. That's why you should remember that the most important thing to a shinobi is teamwork!"_

Those words…Kakashi couldn't remember if they belonged to Sensei or his father. At times, the two seemed to merge into one voice, a teacher whose lessons echoed through Kakashi's mind as if he had been born knowing them. Now the memories of the bell test were coming back to him, and he realized how badly he had messed up.

"Dammit," Kakashi muttered under his breath and slowly opened his eyes.

He was tied to a wooden post on the training grounds. His teammates were on either side of him, both in similar positions, and in front of the three, stood Minato, his arms crossed. Kakashi looked away, feeling ashamed. The Frown of Disapproval was easy to recognize though he was glad to say he hadn't seen it much lately. Obito and Rin stared down at the ground, looking depressed. They knew there was no way they could have passed after such a sloppy performance.

"Well," the Yellow Flash started, finally breaking the silence, "Let's go over what happened out there."

The chunnin shifted his feet. He knew he could break out of his bonds and maybe spare himself some humiliation, but it felt too late for that. He had already lost.

"Kakashi," his mentor said, causing him to look up again. "Where were your teammates when you were pursuing me?"

"They were where they were supposed to be," the boy answered. "Obito was waiting for his chance to attack with fire. Rin was setting traps around the edge of the forest. My job was to lure you towards them since I was the only one who could attack you head-on."

"A good strategy," Minato said, his face softening a bit. "So what went wrong?"

Kakashi thought of Obito shifting around and revealing his location too early, never giving him a chance to attack as planned. He thought of Rin's traps being set off by Sensei's clones and both of his teammates being captured by their own nets. It would be so easy to push the blame away from him, to save some face by pretending he had done no wrong…but it wasn't right. Just like the rope he chose not to break free of, this burden was his to take.

"It was my fault," Kakashi told his guardian, startling Rin and Obito. "I should have planned this better. If I hadn't been so careless, it would have worked. I got too caught up in my own part and didn't do much to help the others. I just gave them instructions and left them on their own. I talked like their leader, but I didn't act like one."

"That's not true!" Obito burst out suddenly. "You did help us! You did your part just like you were supposed to, and when I messed up, you got me back on track. If it's anyone's fault we failed, it's mine!"

"No," Rin protested. "I messed up too. I didn't have enough time to set the traps correctly, and I let myself get captured. I should have made something that Minato-sensei couldn't break out of so easily. You boys can't just take all the blame for yourselves."

The Yellow Flash watched in amusement as his pupils argued back and forth about who was the guiltiest. They wouldn't let any one person take all the credit for failure and defended each other's actions fiercely. _Maybe they finally get it. Maybe they know what I'm looking for._

"Enough!" he said finally, cutting them off. "I think you all know what the result of this test will be."

The three students looked at him straight in the eyes. Rin frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. Obito gritted his teeth and hid his nervousness behind his goggles. Kakashi watched him intently, conscious of the sweat dripping down the back of his neck and wetting his mask.

"The three of you will go home. Get your supplies ready. And meet back here at nine o'clock for some proper training."

Kakashi, Rin, and Obito all blinked at him. The Uchiha gaped, unbelievingly.

"Y-you mean-? We _pass?!_"

Rin's face lit up as well, releasing her excitement in a bright grin. Kakashi stiffened in shock and then let his body relax as a wave of relief spread over him. Minato was smiling back at his newly formed team, nodding in response to Obito's question.

"I can see that the three of you realize what's important. You look out for each other and try your best to work together. It may not have got smoothly this time around, but the effort was there, and I can see you all functioning nicely as a team with some practice. Konoha needs shinobi who understand the importance of teamwork, and I believe all of you do."

Obito and Rin erupted in cheers of victory. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, his skin tingling with happiness and satisfaction. The Yellow Flash took out three kunai with a smirk and with a quick flick of his wrist, all three students were cut free from their wooden posts.

"Well, then. Welcome to the team."

* * *

Student and sensei were quiet as they walked through the village together, side by side. Kakashi looked to be deep in thought, ignoring his complaining stomach. Rin and Obito had taken the lunches, but the chuunin knew Sensei wouldn't let his own charge go hungry. The two were headed for yakisoba. Minato threw him a glance now and then, smirking to himself as he wondered what his pupil was thinking. Finally, the silver-haired boy gazed sideways and spoke.

"You weren't _really _going to send me back to the academy, were you?"

The blonde man laughed.

"Gave you a scare there, did I? I might have sent you back for a day at least. I think you having to sit with the pre-gens even for a little while would've been enough to get the point across. Luckily, it didn't come to that. You did very well today."

"I know I could have done better," the chunnin mumbled.

"I'm proud to see you cooperating with your teammates," his mentor told him. "Those kids could really use someone like you to help them learn and watch their backs. Not all genin make it through their first year, you know. The times are getting more dangerous. Soon, weaker teams might not even be able to leave the village, unless they're really needed. We all have to be strong for Konoha."

Kakashi nodded.

"I'll look out for them," he promised. "Even the loud one."

The Yellow Flash smiled and clapped his charge affectionately on the shoulder. He was grateful to have been entrusted with the care of such an outstanding shinobi. He may have held back today, but the blonde man knew that soon, he would have to take Kakashi even more seriously. The way he was moving, the chuunin may very well start catching up to his own skill level. Then Minato wouldn't be able to let himself fall into nets so easily.

"Tell Bull I'm sorry for stepping on his head."

"I doubt he even felt it," Kakashi answered. "I'm going to keep training the dogs in combat skills. Right now, they're best at tracking."

"They're impressive," the Yellow Flash said. "It's going to be a lot different now, training with your new teammates too. I have many more cooperative exercises planned…"

Kakashi smirked. _Leave it to sensei…_Despite how he had felt earlier, a part of the chuunin was really starting to look forward to working with Rin and Obito. They may not have seemed like the likeliest team at the beginning, but he knew time would tell how well they performed together. If Konoha needed strong shinobi, their cell wouldn't be overlooked, he decided. His confidence returning, the chuunin looked forward to seeing Iruka again and sharing the news about his new comrades.

* * *

**A/N:what do you mean it's been more than a year?**

I can't believe I let this sit on the shelf so long. ^^; I never gave up on it; I've just been too distracted to finish. Plus, I notice myself taking my sweet time more often for creative stuff like this. It tends to come out much better that way, though I'm not sure if this one did. I had a rough time getting back into it and I think my standards have gone up or something because it's harder for me to be satisfied. Or maybe the break's just been too long. I really like this story and want to finish it; maybe my newfound free time will make way for some motivation.

I've been excited for this chapter ever since before I learned Gaiden was being animated. I had a blast writing about team Minato, but the bell test was hard. I didn't want to make it impossibly one-sided, but I had to keep Minato in character too. And yes! I'm using his name now! Kakashi may keep calling him "Sensei", but that's his own preference. The usual one year-jump will be more like a 3/4 of a year jump for the next chapter. Kakashi's still going to be 12, because as those who've read Gaiden know, there is still much to be covered at this point ...*NINJA*

OBITO! T_T


	7. Judging the Distance

**Seven: Judging the Distance**

"Four orders of beef, please!"

The owner of the yakiniku restaurant nodded to Minato in acknowledgement and went off to retrieve the meat. Iruka smiled excitedly, his mouth watering with anticipation as he imagined those slices of beef sizzling on the hot grill in front of them.

"I love these barbeque places!" Obito shouted excitedly, voicing Iruka's thoughts exactly.

"You don't have to be so loud about it," Kakashi muttered to him.

He didn't show it, but Iruka could tell he was embarrassed at his teammate's eccentric behavior in a such a public place.

"It really is great to go out to eat after a mission," Rin said with a smile. "With everything being so busy, I wish we got to do it more."

_It's because of the war,_ the tanned boy thought solemnly. _Kakashi's team is barely ever around anymore. _He was so glad Sensei had invited him along to their little celebration. His parents were both out on a mission tonight, and the blonde man had offered to watch him so that he wouldn't have to spend the night in the dorms. Mizuki hadn't been too pleased, but if Iruka had to be honest with himself, he'd much rather spend time with Kakashi, who he didn't get to see nearly as much.

"You three did very well today," the Yellow Flash told his pupils. "I'm proud of your teamwork and good cooperation."

"It's easy when we're taking orders from you, Sensei," Obito said, but added with a mumble, "but not when Kakashi's trying to pretend he's squad leader."

Kakashi shot him a glare from across the grill.

"If you could think for yourself on the battlefield, I wouldn't have to do it for you."

"W-what?" Obito protested. "I don't need your help! I was just following Sensei's orders!"

"By gawking at the enemy while he formed his hand seals?"

The Uchiha's face turned red in fury and embarrassment.

"I was trying to figure out what jutsu he was going to use so I could counter it!"

"You would have been sliced in half by the time you had any idea what it was," Kakashi told him.

"Stop it, you two!" Rin interrupted, playing the peacemaker as always. "We had a successful mission, so it doesn't matter, does it? It's just important for us to look out for one another. Helping each other isn't the same as bossing each other around, even if it sounds that way sometimes. Kakashi only does it because he's worried about you, Obito."

"What?" her two teammates burst out in unison.

Minato laughed and gave Rin a secret thumbs-up in approval. Iruka smiled amusedly too. Obito just gritted his teeth, and Kakashi stared hard at the grill that was sitting empty in the center of them all. The tension was broken fast, though.

"The meat's coming!" Iruka cheered excitedly as he saw the owner appear with four wooden trays full of beef.

Whatever other words Obito had for his silver-haired teammate were forgotten as he gazed at their dinner with large adoring eyes and a heavily watering mouth. The owner lay the trays at the head of the table and bent down to light the fire of the grill. It was an old-fashioned one that had to be lit manually. He sprinkled lighter fluid below the metal grate and took out a match.

"Oh!" Obito pleaded to the owner. "Let me!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes at his teammate's childish behavior. Obito grinned and, making sure Rin was watching, formed the hand seal for his fire jutsu. The ball of fire grew larger and larger…

"W-wait!" Kakashi yelped suddenly. "That's too much! You'll-"

But it was too late. The oversized jutsu hit the lighter fluid and the resulting explosion engulfed the table and nearly burnt the hair off Kakashi's eyebrows. Iruka shrieked and fell backwards off his seat. The Yellow Flash was on his feet immediately, preparing a jutsu to douse the flames that had spread to the wooden wall and were licking their way up to the restaurant's wall hangings and decorations. The owner stood there dumbfounded with his mouth gaping open, too shocked to cry out in anger as Minato released a wave of water that left the already damaged property drenched. That wasn't the end of their troubles, though.

"Kakashi, your hair!" Rin gasped, as she pointed at the silver mass that was so thick that the chunin hadn't even noticed the tiny flames flickering at the top but slowly making their way down the tips and consuming the strands.

Kakashi jumped in shock and tried to put out the fire, but only ended up burning his hands. Obito, finally recovering from the shock of what he'd done, couldn't help but snicker at his teammate flapping in an attempt to smack the disaster that was going on atop his head. When Sensei aimed another water jutsu at his student that left him completely soaked through and looking like a wet dog, Obito guffawed.

Kakashi glared at him through his wet locks, a look that Iruka knew meant death. The tanned boy hid behind Sensei as his friend approached the Uchiha, who had finally come to his senses enough to stop laughing.

"You think this is funny?" Kakashi demanded in a scalding tone. "You almost destroyed this restaurant! What kind of ninja are you? Can't you even keep one little jutsu under control? So much for the elite Uchiha! Every clan member I know can at least handle a stupid fire jutsu, even the little kids. But you-! You're a disgrace to have as a teammate. I wish-"

"Kakashi, that's enough!" Sensei said sharply. "It was an accident, so don't be so harsh. I'll pay for the damage here," he added, turning to the restaurant owner apologetically. The man still hadn't quite recovered from the shock of having the shinobi almost burn up his place. He only nodded mutely in response. "Now apologize to Obito."

"No," the jounin flatly refused. "I meant what I said, and I'm not taking it back."

With that, he turned and dashed out of the restaurant, leaving a wet trail and Iruka staring in shock behind him. He rarely saw his friend this upset. Kakashi was usually more closed off with his feelings, even anger. Obito must have really made him mad.

"He's just pissed that I ruined his hair," the Uchiha mumbled under his breath, but Iruka saw the hurt in his eyes.

"I'll deal with him later," Sensei sighed. "The rest of you go sit over for a bit."

He pointed to another table. Iruka wasn't even sure the restaurant owner would be too willing to let them eat there anymore after what had happened. He never got to find out though, because just then, Obito shook his head.

"No, thanks. I'm not hungry anymore. I'll…see you guys at training tomorrow."

He turned and started heading for the door. Rin went after him.

"Obito, wait!"

But the Uchiha was already running home.

/

Iruka sat with Sensei at Ichiraku. They had been unable to get Obito to come back with them, and after he had gone home, Rin had excused herself for the night too. Normally, Iruka would have gone after Kakashi, but he sensed that his friend would much rather be alone. The Yellow Flash looked troubled and frustrated over his students' behavior. _Being a sensei must be hard,_ Iruka thought to himself as he slurped his noodles. He was still passionate about his dream to teach, but as he learned more about it, he realized the difficulties that might come with such an ambition.

"I'm sorry, Iruka," Minato said. "I really wish tonight could have gone smoother."

"You don't have to apologize, Sensei," he replied, a bit surprised. "They're always like that, aren't they?"

"Well, that's true, but-" the Yellow Flash replied with a small laugh, "I was hoping they'd grow out of it soon. Especially since…"

The tanned boy stared at Sensei as he trailed off. He waited, his curiosity peaked. The blonde man turned to him and smiled nervously.

"Don't tell anyone this, okay?" he asked, receiving a nod of affirmation from Iruka. "It's still a secret. Well, I talked to Sandaime before we left on our last mission and told him about how well Kakashi's been doing and that I think he's ready to take on more important roles and start leading some teams. The Hokage agrees that we need to start splitting up our forces since the war's escalated. So, tomorrow, Kakashi is going to be promoted to jounin rank."

Iruka's mouth dropped open, leaking the half-slurped noodles back into the ramen bowl. His friend was finally going to be a jounin! He couldn't believe it and had to resist the urge to break the promise he had just made and go run to tell the news to Kakashi right at that instant.

"T-that's great!" he managed to say.

"Yes," the blonde man agreed, though his tone was still sighing, "I really am proud of him…but I hope that he'll learn how to get along with his teammates better and not just use his new rank to push them around. He may, after all, stay with Obito and Rin for the remainder of the war. Sandaime needs my strength at the front."

Iruka's eyes furrowed slightly. He didn't doubt Sensei's ability - the man was the strongest ninja he knew - but it was for that reason that he had always felt better about Kakashi and the others fighting under him in the war. The Yellow Flash could watch out for them and protect them, but now that he wasn't going to be around for them anymore…

"You're worried about my students," the blonde man said knowingly. "Don't sweat it. Kakashi knows what he's doing. He won't forget to look after his teammates, even if he doesn't get along with all of them." He chuckled. "I trust them."

Iruka couldn't tell if he was just trying to reassure him or not. Anyway, there was nothing he could do to stop the plans that had already been made. This was a big war Konoha was fighting, and even if it forced shinobi to grow up faster, they'd be stronger in the end because of it.

/

Iruka made up his mind to join Kakashi's team for training the next morning. After all, he wanted to see the look on his friend's face when he found out about his new rank.

He forgot to mention it to Sensei, though, so by the time he woke up, the Yellow Flash and Kakashi were already gone. Iruka hurried, hoping he'd make it to the training grounds in time, but he knew the others must have started long ago.

By the time he got there, it was already almost noon. Kakashi, Rin, and Obito were standing under a large tree near the training grounds, listening intently to Sensei with some very serious looks on their faces. Curious, Iruka ran up to join them and caught the last part of what their teacher said.

"-so I need all of you to go home and prepare for the mission. We'll be gone for at least three days. Remember, this is very important. I'll explain the details of the assignment later. Meet in the field in the forest outside the main gates in an hour. Do you have any questions?"

The three students shook their heads, and Iruka frowned. Had he come all the way here just for the rest of training to be cancelled? The Yellow Flash turned to him and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Iruka," he said. "We've been called away suddenly. Your parents are coming back today, right?"

Iruka nodded. He glanced at Kakashi, but the other boy was silent as he watched his teammates rush home.

"Hey, Kakashi!" Iruka said. "Did Sensei tell you-"

He stopped suddenly, unsure of whether or not he was about to blurt out something he shouldn't. Minato looked at him reassuringly and nodded.

"I told him already. It's too bad we don't have time for a celebration before we leave. Becoming a jounin is no small feat."

Kakashi looked down at his feet silently.

"There's never time for celebrations during a war."

Iruka frowned. He still felt bad about what had happened last night. Sensei was leaving their team soon, and they hadn't even been able to have dinner together.

"We'll do something after the mission," the Yellow Flash promised, putting a hand on his charge's shoulder. "With our success, we'll have one more reason to celebrate."

Kakashi shrugged, letting his guardian's hand slip off before making his way back towards the house. Iruka trailed behind him.

"Wait, Kakashi!" he called. His friend stopped at looked back at him.

"What?"

Iruka gave his arm a smack.

"What do you mean, 'what'? Congratulations! I'm sorry I didn't have time to get you a present yet, but I'll have it ready by the time you get back."

Kakashi nodded. "Thanks."

"Be careful on your mission, okay?"

"You don't have to worry," his friend told him. "I'm a jounin now. I've been waiting a long time for this, and I know I'm ready. I'll see you when I get back."

And with that, he was gone. Iruka watched him go, a little sad. Kakashi seemed to be getting a bit distant from him lately. Maybe it was just because he was gone so often, and Iruka knew he thought about the war all the time, even when he wasn't on the battlefield. Kakashi had grown so mature…A jounin already? Iruka hadn't even graduated from the academy yet. It really felt like they lived in different worlds sometimes.

"See you when we get back, Iruka," Sensei said, ruffling the boy's hair before he too headed home.

Iruka watched them go wistfully, wishing them the best.

/

The days that passed were slow and boring. Iruka was happy to have his parents back for an extended amount of time. He knew it wouldn't be long before they got called away again on another war mission, so he tried to make the most of the time they had together. He loved that his parents always spoiled him at moments like these.

"Let's go out for some ice cream later, okay?" his father asked.

Iruka nodded eagerly. His mother walked into the sitting room where he and his father were drinking some cold tea. Iruka looked down at his cup thoughtfully.

"Hey, Okaasan?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think Kakashi would want as a present for becoming a jounin?"

He had told the news to his parents earlier. They had been so happy for Kakashi, Iruka had even gotten a little jealous. His mother had announced that they would be giving him a celebration of their own when he came back from his mission.

"Well," she said, "I'm sure he'll be happy with anything you give him that shows you care."

Iruka groaned.

"That doesn't give me any ideas," he sighed.

"How about something that reminds him of home?" his father suggested. "That way, he can take it on missions with him and not feel homesick."

Iruka wondered if Kakashi even got homesick. It seemed so unsuited to him.

"He wouldn't want to carry around anything he didn't have to," the boy replied, remembering the lecture his friend had given him once about the importance of leaving "excess baggage" behind during a mission.

"It doesn't have to be anything big," his father argued. "Maybe just something that could fit in his pocket."

Iruka frowned but decided he'd think about it.

/

Finally, the day the Yellow Flash's team was expected to return came. Iruka waited by the main gates of the village, hoping he'd catch a glimpse of them as soon as the sentries did. Time passed slowly, though, and Iruka paced the area, feeling restless. It had been only an estimated time. Maybe they wouldn't come back today at all. When his stomach began to grumble, Iruka finally left, deciding that he'd come back and check again later.

Iruka returned just before sunset, asking the sentries if the team had arrived yet.

"No, not yet," the guard atop the tower responded. "They sent a message ahead saying they'd be a day late. Sorry, kid. I didn't realize you were waiting for them."

Iruka hung his head.

"It's alright…"

Slowly, he began to trudge home, clutching the gift he had prepared for Kakashi tightly.

He had better timing the next morning. No sooner had he reached the front that he saw Sensei's familiar blonde hair as the group approached from a distance. He could just make out Rin walking next to him and Kakashi's head slung over his shoulder as he was carried piggyback. At first, Iruka was concerned, but he realized that Kakashi must just be worn out. Instead, he was reminded of the time when they were little and Kakashi had complained that chunin didn't ride piggyback. Now here he was, a jounin! The boy suppressed a smirk. He hoped his friend hadn't overdone it too badly, though. He ran out the gates and sped towards them to make sure.

As he came closer, though, he was halted by the somber looks that he could now see on their faces. Rin stared down at the ground silently, her face clouded in misery. She sure didn't seem happy to be home. Iruka glanced at her curiously and looked up at Sensei with eyes full of worry. The man's face was expressionless. He didn't offer Iruka a warm greeting or even a smile. Instead, his hard look turned to one of sympathy and sadness when he saw at the boy.

"Is Kakashi okay?" Iruka asked worriedly, indicating his friend, who appeared to be sleeping with a bandage wrapped around his head and over one eye. What could have happened?

"He'll be fine," Sensei answered gruffly.

He tried to go around Iruka and continue to the village, but the young boy finally realized that there was something else amiss. He peered around the blonde man, confusion spread across his face.

"Eh? Where's Obito? Did he get left behind for being slow?"

Rin flinced, and Iruka thought he heard her stifle a sob. The Yellow Flash stopped walking and sighed, turning to face Iruka with grief evident in his eyes. Iruka had never seen the strong man look that way before. It was so unsettling. Obito was just late as usual, right? He couldn't be that far behind, so why was the Yellow Flash looking at him like that? It couldn't be- Fear washed over him. No…There was no way…

"He's coming, isn't he?" Iruka's voice croaked. "Sensei…!"

"Iruka," Minato replied steadily, "Obito is dead."

* * *

**A/N: I know, I'm awful- I go on haitus for almost a year...and then leave you with THAT. XD; I hope you guys haven't given up on me yet. The next chapter will deal with the aftermath of this one and will, of course, come faster with encouragement. ;)**

**-K.I.**


	8. The Hardest Part to Heal

**Eight: The Hardest Part to Heal**

Kakashi woke up not knowing where he was. It was like the first few mornings he remembered at Sensei's house, right after he had moved in. His surrounds were familiar yet foreign. The smells of the hospital that hit his nose made his stomach cramp with sickness. He felt so ill.

_W-what happened to me? _The harder he tried to remember, the more confused he became. A mission. Rin's kidnapping. A fight with Obito. Obito…He put a hand up to his face and felt the intense sting of a cut below his bandages. It was a deep cut that ran over his left eye. He remembered the ninja who had given him that cut, the moment Obito had finally activated the sharingan, a rock slide…and suddenly Kakashi wished he could forget.

"Kakashi!"

A loud voice called to him as the door flew open. Iruka was standing there, smiling widely with relief as he saw that his friend was finally awake. He rushed over to his bedside and sat down on the chair there. His expression was a mix of joy, nervousness, and sympathy. Kakashi didn't need any more clues to know that Sensei had already told him everything. He didn't want comfort right now, not even from his best friend. He just wanted to be left alone…

"Kakashi," Iruka said quietly, noting the stoic expression on the other boy's face, "are you okay?"

Kakashi didn't say anything. He was still feeling the weight of everything that had happened coming down on him. Obito was gone. He had been killed on the very first day Kakashi had been given the leadership role in their squad. And the reason he had died was because Kakashi had been too stubborn to listen to him when Obito had insisted on going back for Rin instead of continuing the mission. _It's my fault, _he thought. _What kind of jounin fails this miserably on their first day?_

"I'll never see him again," the silver-haired boy whispered, almost to himself.

Iruka's eyes widened, and he looked down at the fists clenched in his lap sadly. He didn't know what to say to his friend to make him feel better. No one he had been close to had ever died. He couldn't imagine what it was like to lose a teammate, but he could sense the pain Kakashi was going through. The younger boy waited to hear what else was on his friend's mind - because it was the only thing he could do.

There was nothing but silence, though. Kakashi was too tired to beat himself up anymore. He wanted to just lay back down and close his eyes, shut himself off from this world, and pass it all off as nothing more than a dream.

"I'm sorry about what happened, Kakashi," he heard Iruka say. It sounded like his voice was really far away. The jounin had never felt so detached from everything since his father had passed away. "Obito was really brave. Sensei told me how he finally activated his sharingan during the mission."

"Didn't help him much."

Iruka flinched at his friend's words. Kakashi suddenly found it easier to be mad than guilty.

"Of course a crybaby like that wasn't going to last one minute without the Yellow Flash to protect him. How was I supposed to be responsible for him? I wanted to go forward with the mission, but no! He had to give into his own weakness and try to play the hero. Now he's dead. He's dead and the last words I said to him the day before we left were that I wanted him that way."

"Y-you didn't say that!"

"No…but I might as well have."

"You can't blame yourself for what happened! Obito's death wasn't your fault."

"Everything is the leader's fault. You don't stray from the mission. You put the goal before everything else, and in the end, the results are all in your hands, including who and who doesn't get to come home afterward."

"It's not that simple," a new voice said, startling the two.

Sensei walked into the room and stood next to Iruka while Kakashi turned his face away.

"Glad someone could finally get you to talk," the Yellow Flash told his charge as he put his hand down on Iruka's shoulder. "You need to get it out, Kakashi. I know it's not easy for you, but your burdens aren't going to go away if you keep them bottled up."

"Talking about it won't break him back," Kakashi muttered. _It just makes it hurt again._

"No," his teacher replied, "it won't. But it'll help you heal on the inside, where other medicines are ineffective."

Kakashi just looked down at his bed sheets. Minato waited a while to see if his charge would listen to him for once, but the boy didn't seem to have any interest in talking about it further. The blonde man sighed, aware of the work the hokage still had waiting for him concerning all the paperwork from the last mission and the affairs that needed to be dealt to complete Obito's death report. He knew it wasn't a good time to tell Kakashi that his statement would be needed to record the details of what had happened during that part of the mission. Maybe the boy had already guessed.

"I have to go," Sensei said, rising. "Stay with him for a while, Iruka. Maybe you can get him to tell you about the new jutsu he's developed."

With that, he was gone, leaving a curious Iruka looking at Kakashi hopefully. He hoped his friend would feel better if he talked about something else to get his mind off of his teammate.

"What kind of jutsu is it?" he prompted. "Does it do a lot of damage?"

"It's nothing that special," Kakashi muttered, even though he would have been proud of it were it not for the circumstances through which it had been perfected. "I'll show it to you next time I'm training."

"Do you think they'll let you out of here soon?"

"Yeah. Since I'm awake now and don't have major injuries, it probably won't be that long before they discharge me."

_That's how it usually goes. _Kakashi could still feel the stitches on his arm from the deep cut he had gotten during the mission. He also had no idea what his eye looked like…He had a feeling he wouldn't be looking in a mirror anytime soon. _It's his eye. His eye is in there right now…_The thought disturbed him.

"Does it hurt?" Iruka asked quietly.

Kakashi hadn't even realized his hand had gone up to touch his bandage.

"Not as much as it did before," he replied. He wished Iruka wouldn't stare at that spot. He knew his friend was curious to see what it looked like beneath the bandages, but Kakashi felt uncomfortable and a bit self-conscious. What kind of face would his friend make when he saw the long cut bisecting his eye? What about when he saw the eye that didn't belong to him?

"Sensei told me that's why you passed out," Iruka said. "Because you can't turn off the sharingan, and it drains your chakra."

Kakashi gave him a nod. "That's why I have to keep it covered."

"You should use your headband!" Iruka suggested, making a tilting gesture with his hands. "It could be like your trademark way of wearing it. It'd look so cool!"

Kakashi managed a small smile in spite of himself. Iruka could always lighten the mood.

"Yeah…maybe I will."

"Oh!" Iruka said suddenly. "I almost forgot!"

He dug into the pocket of his pants and pulled something out. It was a necklace with a small thin whistle hanging off it.

"I got you this for your jounin present. It's a dog whistle!" Iruka said, handing it to Kakashi. "I thought maybe you could use it for the ninken."

"Thanks," Kakashi said, putting it around his neck.

He couldn't offer Iruka a smile though, and the tanned boy felt a stab of disappointment. At least he could keep his friend company for a while in the hopes of cheering him up.

/

The hospital did end up releasing Kakashi, but not until the next day. Sensei came to pick him up, and the jounin mumbled something about not having to be treated like a child anymore. The blonde man just ruffled his hair.

"I'm not here to carry you home. You may be old enough to sign yourself out of the hospital, but that doesn't mean I don't want to come keep you company."

"I thought you were too busy for things like that," his charge muttered. He knew the real reason his guardian had come was because he was still worried about him after what had happened. Kakashi was tired of him trying to get him to talk about it, though.

"I'll always make time for you, Kakashi," Minato said seriously.

Kakashi gritted his teeth beneath the mask. He didn't want to be fussed over! He didn't like Sensei treating him like he was going to break just because he didn't want to talk or think about Obito. He was a full-fledged ninja! His heart wasn't made of glass. He could get over this, _would _get over this. And he didn't need his guardian to hold his hand while doing it.

"I know you're angry right now," that annoying voice came back to say. "You can take it out on me if you want, but that won't help anyone. I know what it's like to lose teammates, and I have to be honest with you, Kakashi - he won't be the last. A shinobi's life is full of losses. I know it's hard-"

"It'd be easier if you just dropped it and let me work it out for myself!" Kakashi interrupted, finally out of patience.

The Yellow Flash stopped walking and stared at him silently. The new jounin suddenly felt a pang of guilt for snapping at his mentor, but he just looked away and kept going in the direction of their home.

"Maybe you should try going that way," he heard his mentor call back from behind him.

Kakashi turned his head wondering where in the world Minato was suggesting he go, and paused when he realized where that finger was pointing. Down the road to their left lay the training fields and the forest. And next to the fields would be…

"The memorial stone?" Kakashi asked quietly.

The Yellow Flash nodded.

"They put his name on there yesterday. I visited it this morning before coming to get you. Maybe you should go…pay your respects there. It would be just you and him."

The jounin contemplated it. It was either go home and mope in his room or go sit by that stone and think about what he'd been trying so hard not to think about all day. At least the second option meant he'd get away from Sensei and his babying. He turned and went down towards the field without looking at the blonde man again. But he could still hear his voice trailing after him even though the rest of him didn't follow.

"I'll have dinner waiting for you when you get back!"

/

The pub Minato was sitting at was empty except for him and his guest. The blonde put down his cup of sake, an exasperated expression spread over his face.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with him," he sighed. "He won't listen to me. He's _always _been like that! But now it's worse because he's turning into a teenager and is starting to show that lovely rebellious side that comes with it."

He looked towards his drinking partner hopelessly, feeling a bit pathetic. The great Yellow Flash - complaining about parenting problems.

"It's just a phase," the playful voice reassured him. "You shouldn't let it stress you out! He'll grow out of it soon enough. I know you can handle it!"

Minato laughed as he was smacked playfully on the back. His date sure wasn't gentle. At least she would always listen to his venting and offer more support than any other friend he had.

"He didn't come home for dinner," he told her. "I cooked the food I knew he liked - even the eggplant miso soup that Umino-san gave me the recipe for! She said he'd never have just one bowl of that, and he still didn't come! I went out looking for him for an hour and by the time I got back, I found him curled up in bed, dinner untouched."

"Sounds like he's being a tough case."

"Yeah, well, I don't blame him," the Yellow Flash mumbled. "He lost a teammate the first day he was put in charge. It can't be easy on him, but I still can't get him to talk about it. He's too proud to admit he's hurting, and then he goes sulking around like a kicked puppy."

"Just give him time. He'll open up when he's ready. You can't expect to force it out of him right away. A kid like him needs some time alone before he's ready to talk. He only just got out of the hospital."

"But what if he's too stubborn to pull himself out of it?" Minato asked worriedly. "I hate seeing him so depressed."

"I'm sure he knows how much you care about him," came the reply. "You're like a father to him, Minato. Even if he pushes you away right now, you're the one he's going to come to when he finally feels like talking. You've been there for him before, and you know him the best. Just be patient."

"Maybe you're right," Minato replied, feeling a hand rub his arm sympathetically. "Thanks, Kushina."

The redheaded woman grinned at him.

"Anytime."

/

Even after lying in bed for two hours, Kakashi couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned and tangled himself up in the sheets. Even when he tried clearing his mind or counting shuriken, it was no use. He kept thinking about that memorial stone…and how he hadn't gone.

_Are you mad at me, Obito? Did you want me to come apologize or something? Your body isn't even there. I'm not going to sit by some rock and cry like when I was seven. It never made anyone feel better. _

But there was something tugging at him, begging him to get out of bed. Maybe it was guilt. It could have even been the Uchiha's spirit itself. But whatever it was, it was so persistently annoying that Kakashi, with one last huff of frustration, finally rolled over and stood up before walking towards his window and slipping away into the night.

It didn't take him long to get to the memorial stone, but once he had, he stopped in disappointment. It seemed that someone else was already there. _Who is that? Who else is crazy enough to come here at this hour? _As he watched the figure in the darkness, though, he realized her shape looked familiar. As he got closer, he could see her moonlit face.

"Rin…"

The girl flinched and turned around to face her teammate. She was clutching something in her hands. Kakashi looked down at it and knew what the object was right away. They were Obito's goggles.

"K-kakashi! I didn't expect to see you here…"

"I meant to come earlier," he replied, "but, well, I couldn't."

Rin nodded down towards the stone.

"I know…You just got out of the hospital today, didn't you? I visited when you were still asleep. Sorry I didn't come back after that."

"You don't have to apologize."

"Still, I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

_Better…right. _Kakashi didn't say anything.

"How's your eye?" his teammate asked nervously.

_It's not _my _eye._

"It's fine," he said, putting a hand up to where the bandage still covered it. "I don't feel any pain."

"That's good," Rin said, breathing a sigh of relief. At least her transplant had been successful. "Don't strain yourself. You don't want to drain your chakra again."

"Yeah," was all Kakashi said in response.

The two stood there quietly, looking down at the stone. After a moment, Rin knelt down and lay the goggles by some flowers that were already there.

"I think Sensei left those," she said, indicating the plants. "He doesn't show it, but I think he feels really heartbroken about what happened too. He's always looked out for us before. I wonder if he feels guilty because he wasn't there…"

Kakashi looked at her questioningly. Had Sensei mentioned something to her?

"It's not his fault Obito's gone," he said. "I was the one in charge of our team at the time. Sensei knows that."

"You can't really think he puts all the responsibility on you," she said, unbelievingly. "He knows you're a new jounin. There's only so much you could have done. Even if you had more experience, those were two formidable ninja in unfamiliar territory." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Maybe if I hadn't been so careless…If I hadn't let myself get captured - he'd still be alive."

Kakashi stared. He opened his mouth. And then he did something neither of the two expected - he laughed. Not loudly, just short spurts that came choked out from within him. As he fought them back, his body shook, and Rin looked at him at first like he had grown two heads and then with a mix of hurt and concern.

"W-what-?"

"This," Kakashi breathed finally, able to control himself at last. "Us. This is so…stupid. First I blame myself. Then Sensei blames himself. Now you're trying to do it too. We all want some of this guilt. Why? Doesn't it hurt? It just makes no sense. If Obito were here, he'd be laughing too."

Rin turned away from him, and Kakashi suddenly felt horrible. He was still trembling a little. It had felt good to laugh at himself, as if a bit of the burden had been lifted from him, but he doubted Rin found it as relieving as he did. She just stared off towards the moon and stars, leaving Kakashi to look at the back of her head.

"He really did love me, didn't he?" she said after an awkward silence. "That's why he was so insistent on coming back. He wanted to rescue me."

Kakashi hung his head down. "Yeah…" _And I was about to leave you behind._

"He was a good friend," Rin said, turning her head to smile at him, "and a brave shinobi. I'm sure he would have been great with the sharingan."

"He was," Kakashi told her, conscious of the eye that lay within him. "He took down one of those enemy ninja all on his own. The same one that gave me this scar."

"I wish he hadn't left us so soon," his teammate said. "Maybe we…"

Kakashi waited for the end of a sentence that would never come. Rin was kneeling by the stone now, her eyes fixed on the goggles. Kakashi remembered his last promise to his friend. _I'll take care of her, Obito. You don't have to worry. I know how you felt about her. I'll make sure she stays safe until that day comes…when we can all be together again. _He felt the wind blow against his skin, the warm breeze comforting him in a way that was hard to explain. It was as if it was trying to carry off some of his guilt and sadness while replacing it with something familiar…whatever it was that he had lost. Kakashi felt a rush of gratitude and relief. He had almost forgotten Obito's last words to him, but they came back to him now, reminding him that his friend and teammate was still alive. _"I can become your eye, and from now on I will see the future_." He finally took the bandage off.

Not too far away, leaning against a trunk near the training grounds, Minato watched his two students pay their respects to their teammate. He crossed his arms and smiled. _It never gets easier, _he thought. _Even after you learn to accept it, there's always the same amount of pain. I've already asked for enough forgiveness today. Now my only wish is for them to get theirs. _His golden hair was rustled by the wind. The Yellow Flash closed his eyes and felt the presence of his former student within him as the Will of Fire they shared connected them. _Thanks, Obito. Rest in peace._

_

* * *

_

__

**A/N: Sorry for so much Emo!Kakashi in this chapter...Minto's gonna have a lot of fun with him. XD; At least he has a hot date to help him relieve some stress!**

**Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who commented on or faved the last chapter. I was so surprised! Your interest is encouraging, and your support really means a lot to me. Keep being awesome! **

__

**-K.I. **


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